720 ILCS 5/12C-50.1 – Failure to Report Hazing

Posted by Christopher Combs on March 31, 2026

720 ILCS 5/12C-50.1 – Failure to Report Hazing

This law says school workers can be charged if they see hazing that hurts someone and don’t report it.

This Illinois law requires school staff and volunteers to report hazing they witness that causes someone to get hurt. If they don’t report it, they can face criminal charges depending on how serious the injury was.

(a) “School official” means anyone who works for or volunteers at a school, college, or university in Illinois – including teachers, counselors, coaches, and administrators.

(b) A school official breaks this law if all of the following happen:

They see hazing while doing their job, and the act is not approved by the school.
The hazing causes someone to get hurt.
They knowingly do not report the hazing to the right school leaders or, if someone is badly hurt or killed, to the police.

(c) Sentence: Not reporting hazing is a Class B misdemeanor. If the hazing causes death or very serious injury, it becomes a Class A misdemeanor.

(d) It is a defense to this charge if the person who saw the hazing reasonably believed that reporting it right away would cause them or someone else to be seriously hurt, disfigured, disabled, or killed as revenge for speaking up.

(e) This law does not apply to someone who helps investigators or prosecutors after witnessing hazing.

View the full statute here.