SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CNI) – Immigrant rights and artificial intelligence were two of the hot-button issues that influenced public education in 2025. They are also the subject of new education-related laws that will take effect at the start of the new year.

The rights of noncitizen students, including those who are not lawfully present in the U.S., rose to the top of the education agenda as soon as President Donald Trump was sworn in to his second term in January.

The day Trump was inaugurated, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a Biden administration policy that had limited immigration enforcement actions in or near “sensitive locations” such as schools, playgrounds, child care centers and school bus stops.

Two days later, Illinois Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders issued what he called “non-regulatory guidance” to local school officials, urging them to adopt policies spelling out how and when their staff should cooperate with federal immigration officials carrying out enforcement actions or seeking information from school officials.

At the Statehouse, the Democratic-controlled General Assembly also took action, passing bills intended to extend more legal protections to noncitizens living in Illinois.

School program participation

Among those was House Bill 3247, which passed the General Assembly in the final days of the spring session in May and was signed into law Aug. 15. It prohibits schools from excluding or discouraging students from attending school or taking part in school programs based on their immigration status or that of their parents or guardians.

“In the face of federal threats to our schools and students, our communities came together and organized to demand that our state leaders stand up for education for all Illinois children,” Lawrence Benito, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said in a statement after the bill’s final approval.

“While the right to safe and free public education remains under attack from Trump and leaders in other states, Illinois has the opportunity to continue to uphold our values.”

The law specifically prohibits schools from requesting or collecting information from a student, their parents or guardians about their citizenship or immigration status unless the information is required by state or federal law.

It also prohibits schools from disclosing information about their immigration or citizenship status to any other person or entity, including immigration and law enforcement agencies, unless required to do so under federal law.

In addition, starting July 1, schools that violate those prohibitions can be sued in civil court for actual damages.

Scholarships and immigration status

Another new law expands the types of publicly funded scholarships students can qualify for regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.

Illinois law already extends eligibility for state-funded student financial aid such as the Monetary Award Program, or MAP grants, to any student who meets Illinois residency requirements. House Bill 460, which was signed into law in August, expands that to include programs administered by local units of government.

Artificial Intelligence in college

The rapid deployment in recent years of new technologies like ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemeni has raised a host of new questions for educators. Should students be allowed to use them in lieu of doing their own reading and writing? And should schools themselves be allowed to use them in lieu of human instructors to lead classes?

Illinois lawmakers addressed some of those questions.

House Bill 1859 requires community colleges to ensure that faculty members who teach courses must be actual people who meet the qualifications to hold their positions. It also provides that colleges may not, in lieu of a faculty member, use AI programs “as the sole source of instruction.” It does, however, allow faculty members to use AI as a teaching tool in their classrooms.

“Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that can enhance both students’ and teachers’ capability to learn and teach, but it cannot replace an instructor,” Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, the bill’s lead House sponsor, said in a statement. “This legislation clarifies that college courses must be taught by real people, not AI.”

AI at elementary and secondary schools

Lawmakers were less specific about how AI should be handled at the elementary and secondary education levels. Instead, they directed the Illinois State Board of Education to develop broad guidelines.

Senate Bill 1920 directs ISBE to develop statewide guidance for districts and educators on the use of AI in K-12 settings. That includes a basic explanation of what AI is and how it works as well as descriptions of how it can be used in the classroom “to inform teaching and learning practices while preserving the human relationships essential to effective teaching and learning.”

The law also directs ISBE to include guidance on the impact AI systems and applications could have on student data privacy, on best practices for teaching students about responsible and ethical uses of AI, and the dangers of “unintentional and disparate biases against special populations inherent within artificial intelligence products.”

The law directs ISBE to publish those guidelines by July 1.

Other education laws

Also beginning Jan. 1, students in seventh and eighth grade will be able to get an early jump on earning high school credits.

House Bill 3039 authorizes districts to award credits to seventh and eighth graders who enroll in high school classes as long as they pass both the course and the end-of-course examination demonstrating they have achieved high school-level proficiency.

House Bill 1366 requires districts to notify the parents or guardians of students with special needs that they have a right to bring a third-party advocate with them to meetings about their student’s Individual Education Plan, or IEP meetings.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Copyright 2026 KWQC. All rights reserved.

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago-area leaders are speaking out after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife amid strikes in country overnight.

The action has drawn mixed reaction. Some people were celebrating as others gathered Saturday evening at a protest downtown Chicago.

Democrats are condemning the attack and capture of Maduro, because they say it was done without congressional approval, while Republicans are applauding the action, deeming it a win in the war on drug trafficking.

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The entirety of Federal Plaza in the Loop was packed with large crowds of protesters pushing back against the Trump administration. They say this is another unnecessary act of war while demanding an end to the use of tax payer dollars for international affairs.

The fiery crowd in downtown Chicago spoke out against the U.S. attacks on Venezuela as President Maduro and his wife were taken into custody by U.S. forces. Anti-war activists say the U.S. has been down this road before.

“Whether it’s Saddam Hussein in Iraq or the Taliban in Afghanistan, Panama, Libya , you name it… whenever the U.S. attacks another country like this, it’s the people of those countries who suffer the most,” said Andy Thayer with the Chicago Committee Against War and Racism.

While many Venezuelan nationals are happy to see the regime removed, there are growing concerns in the Chicago area over how all of this was carried out as Congress was not notified of the operation.

“An open violation of international and U.S. law, invading a sovereign country, kidnapped their president, kidnapped their first lady, and call this just,” Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez said.

Protesters continue to demand the Trump administration to focus on issues in the U.S.

“The people of Chicago oppose this because our public infrastructure is underfunded it’s failing we don’t have social programs people are facing homelessness,” said Caeli Kean, Anti-War Committee of Chicago Co-Chair. “And meanwhile are tax payer dollars are going to bomb people in Venezuela.”

RELATED | US Republicans largely back Trump on Venezuela action, US Democrats decry it as unjustified

President Trump said Saturday that a team of U.S. officials will help run Venezuela during this transition.

Thomas Mockaitis, a history professor at DePaul University, is worried about the precedent this sets for other international affairs.

“If the United States can get away with doing this, how do we look Vladimir Putin in the eye and say, ‘You can’t invade another country. You can’t replace somebody just because you don’t like him,’” Mockaitis said. “He’s gonna look at us and say, ‘Why can’t we?’”

Political leaders in Illinois and Indiana are weighing in on the overnight strike in Venezuela and capture of the country’s ousted leader. Democrats are saying the attack was done without Congress’ knowledge or approval.

Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL) serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

“To be clear, there has been no communication from the [Trump] administration. The [Trump] administration did not notify anyone in Congress,” Rep. Schneider said. “We’ve been trying to understand what the attacks in the Caribbean and the Atlantic were about. If they were about drug smuggling, this is a president who just pardoned one of the most serious drug traffickers in the world.”

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin said in a statement, “Nicolas Maduro repeatedly denied the will of the Venezuelan people,” but went on to say the Trump administration “MUST provide briefings for all Members of Congress as soon as possible this week.”

Durbin’s Indiana counterparts, Republican senators Jim Banks and Todd Young, are supporting the military operation.

Banks said “Maduro turned Venezuela into a narco-state. A drug cartel posing as a government and killing Americans. Let this be a warning to every narcoterrorist in the Western Hemisphere,” while Young said “This should be an opportunity to bring Maduro to justice for his many crimes and a day of new hope for the Venezuelan people.”

Both Illinois and Indiana governors are split on the strike, too.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is calling the military action “unconstitutional,” saying it puts American troops, “in harm’s way with no long-term strategy.”

Indiana Governor Mike Braun says he stands with President Trump, saying that, “Indiana families have paid too high a price for the deadly drugs pushed by criminal regimes.”

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker posted the following statement on social media:
“Donald Trump’s unconstitutional military action in Venezuela is putting our troops in harm’s way with no long-term strategy.
“The American people deserve a President focused on making their lives more affordable.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued the following statement:
“The Trump administration’s military action in Venezuela violates international law and dangerously escalates the possibility of full-scale war. The illegal actions by the Trump administration have nothing to do with defending the Venezuelan people; they are solely about oil and power.
“As we have said for the past two years, the dehumanization of migrants from Venezuela, and of immigrants generally, by the Far Right has laid the groundwork for military action in Central and South America. I strongly condemn the Trump administration’s inhumane treatment of migrants in our country and this illegal regime change abroad.
“In Chicago, we will continue to uphold the values of peace, diplomacy, and mutual respect for all people.”

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) posted the following statement on social media:
“Nicolás Maduro repeatedly denied the will of the Venezuelan people, including when two thirds of them voted for an end to decades of political & economic ruin and criminality.
“However, I disagree with President Trump’s use of U.S. military forces without Congressional approval & worry deeply about this Admin’s follow through on foreign policy interventions.
“The Trump Admin MUST provide briefings for all Members of Congress as soon as possible this week.”

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement:
“The American people believed Donald Trump when he promised on the campaign trail that he would get our nation out of foreign wars, but this morning we awoke to another stark reminder that he is-and has always been-a liar who has never cared about keeping his promises. The Constitution requires the American people, through their elected representatives in Congress, to authorize any President to engage in acts of war-because they will be the ones to live with the consequences of the decision-and it is unacceptable for this President to deny them that responsibility.
“While Trump-whose love of country is best measured by the number of times he dodged the draft during Vietnam-may believe that war is ‘like watching a TV show’ as he said this morning, he has never understood or appreciated that the true costs of war are measured not only in dollars and cents, but in the blood, sweat and sacrifices of our troops and our military families. Sadly, our troops understand all too well just how costly it can be when our nation engages in war without a plan for what comes next, destabilizing an entire region.
“Donald Trump’s reckless and unconstitutional operations in Venezuela-including this morning’s arrest of a foreign leader-are not about enforcing law and order because if they were, he wouldn’t hide them from Congress. Maduro was unquestionably a bad actor, but no President has the authority to unilaterally decide to use force to topple a government, thrusting us and the region into uncertainty without justification, a defined end-state or a real plan for preventing the instability that could come next. His actions continue putting American troops, personnel and citizens at risk both in the region and around the globe. None of that serves our nation’s interests.”

Indiana Governor Mike Braun posted the following statement on social media:
“By arresting Nicolás Maduro, POTUS is cutting off narcoterrorism at the source and helping save Hoosier lives. Indiana families have paid too high a price for the deadly drugs pushed by criminal regimes, and we stand with President Trump in holding them accountable.”

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN) posted the following statements on social media:
“I commend the bravery and professionalism of U.S. personnel who carried out a successful mission in Venezuela. This should be an opportunity to bring Maduro to justice for his many crimes and a day of new hope for the Venezuelan people. I look forward to hearing more about the Administration’s plans for a positive transition in the days ahead.”
“I appreciate POTUS briefing the American people this morning about the successful operation in Venezuela. We still need more answers, especially to questions regarding the next steps in Venezuela’s transition. As Congress returns to Washington next week, I am eager to work with members of the Trump Administration to bring clarity to the situation.”

U.S. Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) posted the following statements on social media:
“Maduro turned Venezuela into a narco-state. A drug cartel posing as a government and killing Americans. Let this be a warning to every narcoterrorist in the Western Hemisphere. President Trump is doing exactly what Americans elected him to do, protect America and keep our people safe.”
“Proud of our brave service members who got the job done and sacrifice everyday to keep America safe. The United States military is the strongest fighting force on Earth. God bless our troops.”

The high school football season around the country has wrapped up and with that comes honors for coaches and players from the 2025 season. One state out of the Midwest region that is starting to produce some impressive talent and teams from around the country is Illinois high school football.

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state finals ended a few weeks ago and we decided to get right to it when it comes to end of the year honors.

We continue into the Prairie State of Illinois as Rivals looked through the season and selected award nominees from this past season. Who were the best players for the 2025 Illinois high school football season, though?

Rivals give you the Illinois high school football honorees for the 2025 season.

Player of the Year: Israel Abrams, QB, Montini Catholic

There was no player more instrumental to his team’s success in Illinois than 2027 four-star quarterback Israel Abrams was to Montini Catholic. The junior signal caller could match up with the best of ’em as Abrams had himself a season to remember as he led the Broncos to the IHSA’s Class 4A state championship. On the season, Abrams finished the season completing 233 of 340 passes for 4,072 yards and 40 touchdowns to just six picks. Abrams was also the team’s third leading rusher, going for 224 yards on 82 attempts and scoring 10 touchdowns. A scary thought for Illinois high school defensive coordinators is they have one more year to try and scheme up on how to stop the quarterback.

Offensive Player of the Year: Trae Taylor, QB, Carmel Catholic

One of the state’s top offensive play makers all season long was the Trae Taylor (Nebraska commit) for Carmel Catholic. Taylor is coming off a tremendous junior campaign for the Corsairs, with the quarterback 81 percent of his passes (205 of 251) for 3,571 yards, 38 touchdowns and a mere three interceptions this past 2025 season while adding 666 and 12 scores on the ground. The junior signal caller led Carmel Catholic an 8-3 record after losing to St Charles North, 26-23, in the IHSA Class 7A playoffs. Taylor’s arguably best performance of the season came in a 55-54 loss to Montini Catholic where he completed 25 of 36 attempts for 505 yards and five touchdowns. Taylor also got it done on the ground in that same game, rushing for an additional three scores and 66 yards.

Defensive Player of the Year: Carmelow Reed, DL, Morgan Park

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound trench monster was just that for opposing offensive linemen as Morgan Park’s Carmelow Reed made life difficult for 48 minute on the opposition. Reed, who has officially signed with Ole Miss, helped Morgan Park reach the Class 5A playoffs as the Broncos finished the 2025 campaign with a 9-2 record. For Reed, he was undoubtedly one of the top defensive players in the state as the defensive lineman tallied 66 total tackles, 18 of them went for a loss, 10 sacks and also blocked three field goals.

Coach of the Year: Matt Battaglia, Fenwick

We close out the awards by giving this last one to Fenwick head coach Matt Battaglia. Playing for the state’s Class 6A state championship against a loaded and once nationally ranked East St. Louis bunch, the Fenwick Friars weren’t given too much of a chance to upset the Flyers heading in. Well, the unthinkable would occur, led by Battaglia and his staff, as Fenwick was able to pull off the upset of East St. Louis, 38-28, for the 6A title. Fenwick finished the season with an 11-3 record, which is a seven-win improvement from just a couple years ago when the Friars went 4-5 in 2023. With a state championship in hand, this validated Battaglia being given the Illinois Coach of the Year honors.

For Illinois high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Prairie State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the Illinois high school football excitement across the state.