Sept. 21, 2015, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed Bill HB4025, which states that, in public schools, “of the 2 years of social studies required of high school students, at least one semester must be civics, which shall help young people acquire and learn to use the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will prepare them to be competent and responsible citizens throughout their lives.”

The Social Studies department is currently in the process of developing its courses to accommodate these new requirements. According to Social Studies teacher Jenne Dehmlow, current courses such as Government, AP Government, and Law in American Society will remain, but will be re-evaluated and adjusted to meet the guidelines.

The template to modify these classes comes from the law itself. According to Bill HB4025, course content shall focus on government institutions, the discussion of current and controversial issues, service learning, and simulations of the democratic process.

Each class will be changed to view civics through what Dehmlow calls a “lens”. For example, Multicultural Studies will focus on specific court cases having to do with the rights of minorities, while Law in American Society will focus on an overview of significant court cases from a wide span of years.

According to Dehmlow, the hope is that students will respond to the new courses.

“The ultimate goal is to get all of our students civically engaged,” Dehmlow said.

Ultimately, the goal of the department is to give students options for which focus they want to take, whether it be a general overview simply covering all the requirements of the new bill, or a class with a more specific focus.