Bill to allow school days off for funerals passes House; Chester district facing $20k loss

Legislation that would allow school districts to have up to two days off to host funerals for community members has passed the Illinois House and now awaits action in the Senate.

The bill comes as a local school district faces a $20,000 loss because it dismissed students from class early for the funeral of James Brockmeyer, a police officer and firefighter who died Oct. 28, 2016 in a crash during a police pursuit.

The Illinois State Board of Education denied a day of attendance to Chester School District for the early dismissal, according to a press release from the district, costing the district more than $20,000. Superintendent Rick Goodman said students attended for three hours in the morning and were dismissed early so the community could make preparations at the school, where the wake and funeral were held.

School gymnasiums are often the only options for large community gatherings, state Rep. Jerry Costello said in a statement.

“While the students may have been dismissed early, many of them learned a lot that isn’t contained in a book, by helping prepare for the memorial and working in the community,” Costello said in the statement. “I also believe it helped a lot of students understand the importance of the sacrifices our law enforcement and first responders make, with some of them giving their lives in the line of duty.”

The bill is HB1254.

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Bill to allow school days off for funerals passes House; Chester district facing $20k loss."