A new Illinois bill aims to close a critical gap in the state’s legal approach to sexual exploitation of students by teachers. At the moment, it is legal for members of school staff to have sexual relationships with 18-year-old students.
Republican lawmakers led by Republican State Rep. Amy Elik seek to change this with House Bill 4241, which would impose criminal charges against educators who exploit their authority to have sexual relations with adult students.
Elik said the bill “protects students ages 18 and older in high school by creating the offense of abuse of authority by an educator or authority figure.” The measure, if passed, would categorize the first offense of sexual conduct by a teacher as a Class A misdemeanor. Subsequent offenses would be considered a Class 4 felony. “We expect the adults to be the responsible ones in schools and know that this abuse is not…
