Email sent to the Illinois Civics Mission Coalition listserv regarding news and updates around civic education in the state of Illinois .

Illinois
Civic Mission
Coalition

presents

Civics in the Middle

<<First Name>>, I’m ecstatic to report that House Bill (HB) 2265 passed the Illinois Senate last Thursday with a bi-partisan supermajority, 40-14 (see accompanying photograph). HB 2265 would require a semester of civics in grades 6, 7, or 8, employing direct instruction, discussion of current and societal issues, service learning, and simulations of democratic processes. It proceeds next to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk for signing.

You can voice your support for the legislation with Governor Pritzker by contacting him via both e/mail and phone this week before the end of spring session. We also encourage educators to engage their students in this ultimate form in informed action. Follow the steps below to make the case for middle school civics and HB 2265.

Governor Pritzker’s Contact Information

Office of the Governor
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217-782-6830 or 217-782-6831
Email contact form: Click here

Mail or Email Governor Pritzker

A sample email follows, and this fact sheet will be helpful in customizing the email. You are strongly encouraged to draw heavily from your experience as a student, teacher, administrator, and/or civic learning advocate.

Dear Governor Pritzker,
I’m writing to encourage you to sign HB 2265, an act to require a semester of civics in middle school. (Write a second sentence about yourself. For example, “I’m a social studies teacher at Carbondale Community High School, a 2012 Democracy School.”)
Preparing students for their roles as citizens in a democracy is a core responsibility of public schools. The process must begin early and continue throughout students’ K-12 experience. (Follow with evidence demonstrating the need for middle school civics, drawing from the fact sheet provided, or better yet, your own personal experiences).
By requiring a semester of civics in middle school infused with proven civic learning practices, HB 2265 will build students’ civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions, leading to lifelong, informed, and effective engagement in our democracy.
The problems that plague our state and national are generational in nature. By investing in the civic development of our youth, we will empower them to help resolve these issues, building a better Illinois and a healthier democracy.
Please contact me at (insert email address) or (insert phone number) to discuss the need for middle school civics further, and promptly sign HB 2265 when it arrives on your desk.
Yours in civics,
(Name, Title, School/ Organizational Affiliation)

Call to Confirm Email Was Received

Call Governor Pritzker’s Capitol Office at 217-782-6830 or 217-782-6831. With his assistant, leave your name, phone number, and school/organizational affiliation, and encourage Governor Pritzker to sign HB 2265 when it arrives on his desk.

Once you have completed these steps, reply to this email to let us know how your outreach went. This will help inform our own engagement with the Governor.

The Finish Line Is In Sight!

Thanks to the tireless advocacy of civic learning champions like yourself, Illinois is this/close to driving high-quality civic learning opportunities down to the middle grades. We need your help to ensure HB 2265 is signed into law. #CivicsInTheMiddle is within reach, and your timely outreach will help propel it across the finish line.

Yours in civics,
Shawn

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