Public Act 0111 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1584 Enrolled LRB104 05031 LNS 15059 b

Public Act 104-0111

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section 21B-120 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/21B-120 new)

Sec. 21B-120. Short-Term Approval credential.

(a) As used in this Section, "serious health condition" has the same meaning as set forth in the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.

(b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may develop, by rules, a credential valid for an individual to serve as an educator in a specific education area or grade range for a temporary period of time and upon meeting the conditions set forth in those rules. Such a credential shall be known as a Short-Term Approval. A Short-Term Approval may be issued on an existing educator license or may stand alone, as applicable to the particular Short-Term Approval.

(c) A Short-Term Approval shall have an expiration date without the ability to renew. Before the expiration of an educator's Short-Term Approval, the educator must obtain a license or endorsement in the same specific education area or grade range as the Short-Term Approval. If the educator does not obtain the required license or endorsement in the specific education area or grade range and the Short-Term Approval expires, the educator is not eligible to continue serving as an educator in the specific education area or grade range.

The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may consider extending the expiration date of the educator's Short-Term Approval if the educator can demonstrate that a serious health condition inhibited the educator's ability to timely apply for and receive the license or endorsement for the specific education area or grade range for which the Short-Term Approval was issued. An educator may receive only one extension for each Short-Term Approval, and the extension must not exceed one year.