Carbondale Reporter

State Senator Terri Bryant updated her constituents on efforts to limit teacher sexual misconduct through legislation. She made the statement in a December 20 Facebook post.

"As many of you know, the issue in this clip was brought to me by my Youth Advisory Council last year," said Bryant, according to Facebook. "The bill I filed in the Senate did not move. However, HB4249 filed by Rep. Elik was passed unanimously in the House. I am the Chief Sponsor of this bill in the Senate."

In her post, Bryant shared a report from WGN9 focusing on proposed legislation that would make it illegal for an educator to have a sexual relationship with a student, even if the student is older than 18. The report highlights the story of one student who was sexually abused by a teacher at her high school and supports the bill. Diana Mondragon's teacher was never charged due to lack of evidence but lost his license. Mondragon recently settled her case. "Most child abuse is invisible – it’s silent. It’s happening between an adult that knows the child. What I kept hearing [was that] she never said anything. She never complained," said Mondragon.

Screenshot of State Sen. Terri Bryan's Dec. 20 Facebook post | State Senator Terri Bryant's Facebook page

Bryant referred to House Bill 4241, which was proposed by Representative Amy Elik last November. It passed the House on April 19 and moved to the Senate, but there has been no action on the bill since April 24. The bill states that sex offenses by an educator or authority figure are grounds for disqualification for licensure or suspension or revocation of a license. It clarifies that if an educator or authority figure has authority over a student in a school, committing an act of sexual misconduct with a student is a Class A misdemeanor, and subsequent offenses escalate to Class 4 felony status. Additionally, consent by the victim is not considered a defense.

Bryant has served in the Illinois General Assembly since 2014 and was elected to the state senate in 2020. Outside of state government, she has two decades of experience with the Illinois Department of Corrections and was politically active before her election to the House of Representatives. According to her official biography, she served as a precinct committee woman, vice president of the Jackson County Republican Women’s Club, and as Second Vice-Chair of the Jackson County Republican Central Committee.