Illinois Students Advocate for Climate Education
The author is a Director at YEPT and a Senior at Plainfield High School in Plainfield, Illinois.
Illinois has become the fifth state to mandate climate change education in public schools with the passage of Public Act 103-0837, an act written by teenagers. The legislation was written and produced by Iris Shadis-Greengas of Naperville Central High School and Grace Brady of Nequa Valley High School. Both were seventeen-year-old seniors at the time it was written as a capstone project in 2024.
In an interview with YEPT, Shadis-Greengas says the major motivation behind writing the law was the realization that “the reason so many people are misinformed is because they weren't educated properly on climate change.”
The new law, set to take effect on July 1, 2025, will require schools to cover a broad range of topics related to environmental science and climate change. These topics include, but are not limited to, “air pollution, water pollution, waste reduction and recycling, the effects of excessive use of pesticides, preservation of wilderness areas, forest management, protection of wildlife and humane care of domestic animals,” as stated by the act.
“What could possibly be more relevant to today's youth than understanding the physical world around you?” asked James Griffone, an Illinois environmental science and biology teacher. Griffone believes incorporating climate change education into the common core curriculum will not be difficult, as “environmental science ties into most core curriculum already.”
The legislation mandates that students must not only study the environmental impacts of climate change on individuals and communities, but also discuss and evaluate different potential solutions for mitigating these effects. Griffone hopes these requirements will garner more interest in environmental science and encourage students to care more about it. “Human and environmental health aren’t separate, this class has value to better individual lives as well as the population as a whole,” Griffone said.
“If you fail, the worst thing that can happen is things are the way they already are,” said Shadis-Greengas, who wants to encourage other teenagers to fight for what they believe in, climate change or otherwise.
How nearby states fare
A majority of other U.S. states still fail to integrate environmental science and climate change education into their public school curriculum.
Ohio, despite having no regulation for K-12 schools, regulates how climate change is taught at the university level. Senate Bill 83, signed into law in 2024, mandates that universities maintain "neutrality" when teaching climate change. This law requires universities to teach opposing viewpoints, with no restrictions to even those deemed scientifically inaccurate, in higher education.
Iowa has made a series of changes to its science curriculum. The state's new science standards shift terminology from "human impacts" to "impacts" and "climate change" to "climate trends.” The changes appear to appease climate change deniers by avoiding mentioning the controversial topic of climate change entirely.
Wisconsin has now killed three attempted laws to regulate climate change education in public schools. Under the failed Senate Bill 761 and 794 and Assembly Bill 783, the state superintendent would have had the authority to adopt model standards for teaching climate change. These standards would have emphasized the interconnectedness of climate change and its global and local impacts. Public school curricula would highlight actions to mitigate the effects of climate change. In addition, the standards would allow the superintendent to offer grants to and collaborate with environmental agencies and nonprofits to develop curriculum resources for climate education in Wisconsin schools.
Indiana has paved the way as the first Midwestern state to announce a new climate change education framework. In partnership with the Purdue Climate Change Research Center (PCCRC), Indiana built a comprehensive climate change education curriculum in 2021, three years before Illinois.
As climate change continues to impact every facet of society, incorporating environmental science and climate education into school curriculum standards becomes a necessity, not just in the Midwest, not even just in America, but worldwide.
