It is not currently illegal in Illinois for a teacher or staff member to have a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student, however, there has been a bill filed in the state legislature to try to change that.
"This bill protects students ages 18 and older in high school by creating the offense of abuse of authority by an educator or authority figure," state Rep. Amy Elik, R-Alton, who filed House Bill 4241 in Springfield, said.
Abuse by a teacher involving sexual conduct would become a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class 4 felony for a subsequent offense.
"There are unscrupulous teachers, I would even call them evil, who at ages 15, 16, and 17-years-old are grooming those young people so that when they turn 18, all of sudden they can have a relationship with them because now they turned 18 and there is no criminal charge," state Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said.
The bill unanimously passed the State House last month, and Elik is calling on the State Senate to pass the bill before the end of spring session, saying, "this bipartisan bill has no vocal opposition and must move forward this session so students have the necessary protections they deserve."
The bill is currently in a Senate committee.
Jeremy Frankel ✉
Jeremy Frankel is a Newsmax writer reporting on news and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.