The following statement can be attributed to Nora Collins-Mandeville, Director of Systems Reform Policy, ACLU of Illinois:
 
“The passage of House Bill 219 is a huge win for students across the State of Illinois. The measure was advanced after media reports indicated that schools regularly used restraint and seclusion practices. More alarming, these harmful practices were used most often against youth of color and youth with disabilities.
 
It is worth noting the cruelty of some of these practices. Many of the prone restraints authorized by schools were tantamount to the use of deadly force. And we know the devastating psychological impact on students from being secluded. These practices simply cannot be permitted in our schools, and this bill makes that clear. Thanks to passage of this measure, Illinois joins the majority of states across the country in banning these cruel, unnecessary measures.
 
We thank Senator Gillespie and Representative Carroll for their leadership and commitment to seeing this wrong righted.
 
We look forward to seeing this measure signed into law by the Governor, and to the future benefit that will flow to students all across our state.”

The statement below can be attributed to Chelsea Diaz, Advocacy Associate, ACLU of Illinois:
 
“Passage of the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act by the Illinois House moves students across Illinois one step closer to getting the information and education they need to support informed decision making and lead healthy lives. This measure ensures comprehensive personal health and safety and sexual health education is inclusive.  Students who have long been stigmatized and or made invisible in these courses, such as LGBTQ students and pregnant and parenting students, will now feel affirmed and seen in their classrooms.
 
At the same time, the bill specifically retains the existing opt out for parents so a student’s participation is left up to the parent, and not to a teacher or school administrator.
 
This is a great step forward for Illinois students and we express our gratitude to State Representative Camille Lily who has been a leader on this issue for many years. Students’ lives will be better because of her work. We also thank the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and all the advocates of the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Coalition who worked this session to improve comprehensive sexual health education, efforts that ultimately were combined into this measure. 
 
We look forward to Governor Pritzker signing the bill when it gets to his desk.”

The following statement can be attributed to Nusrat Choudhury, legal director at the ACLU of Illinois:
 
“Today’s sudden announcement of an interim foot pursuit policy by the Chicago Police Department continues to fail in serving residents of the City in at least one critical respect. The policy was developed without incorporating the ideas of Black and Brown Chicagoans who have been the victims of reckless foot pursuits and have stood ready to work with the City on a policy to restrict foot chases. The Superintendent reports on an ‘internal process’ that sought input on the policy from CPD officers, but that process ignored Chicago residents. 
 
The only true path to police reform includes meaningful and deep community input in order to shape policies and practices that end patterns of violent policing that have targeted Chicago’s communities of color for generations. But this requires the City to be truly open to changing policies to reflect community experiences and needs. The Monitor enforcing the Chicago Police consent decree found that the City relegates community engagement to the late stages of policy development and fails to incorporate community engagement which often prevents meaningful community participation.
 
To achieve real reform, the City must do better.”