SPRINGFIELD – While obtaining a college degree is increasingly vital to career advancement, low-income, racial minority and first-generation college students often struggle to transition into a college or university’s culture.
A plan led by Illinois Senate Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) that was approved in the Senate Higher Education committee Tuesday seeks to ease the transition into college by allowing Illinois’ public universities to establish bridge programs. These programs would provide access, academic support and financial aid to underrepresented students.
Welcome
Thank you for visiting my website. It is an honor to represent the 4th District as your State Senator. I hope this website will serve as a resource for you to remain informed on the issues and the legislative work taking place in the General Assembly. Please feel free to explore this website and use it as a resource for accessing the many services offered by your state and local governments.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my offices.
District office:
10330 West Roosevelt Rd
Suite 308
Westchester, IL 60154
(708) 343-7444 PHONE / (708) 343-7400 FAX
Springfield office:
Senator 4th District
323B Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-8505 PHONE / (217) 558-2068 FAX
Sincerely,
Senator Kimberly A. Lightford
Assistant Majority Leader
4th Senate District
SPRINGFIELD – A proposal from Illinois Senate Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) would implement a pilot program to make parenting courses part of the health education curriculum for high school students.
“Parenting education gives young adults a realistic overview of what life is like when you are responsible for another human being,” Lightford said. “It also gives them skills that will hold value in adulthood.”
House Bill 4442 requires the State Board of Education to administer a three-year pilot program providing support to school districts that utilize a unit of instruction on parenting education.
SPRINGFIELD – Thousands of K-12 students are arrested in Illinois schools every year for minor offenses such as drawing on desks, not participating in class, walking past a fight or having a tantrum caused by separation anxiety or depression.
Assistant Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) is working to reverse this trend by proposing legislation to create grant funding for schools to implement evidence-based alternatives to law enforcement involvement for in-school offenses.
“Our children are facing awful lifelong consequences due to the overuse of arrests as in-school disciplinary measures,” Lightford said. “We cannot continue to let children suffer when there are methods available that not only help them deal with their behavioral issues, but increase their academic achievement as well.”
