Public Act 93-0572
HB3587 Enrolled LRB093 10197 AMC 12237 b
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 changing
Sections 21-1 and 21-11.1 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/21-1) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-1)
Sec. 21-1. Qualification of teachers. No one may be
certified to teach or supervise in the public schools of this
State who is not of good character, of good health, a citizen
of the United States or legally present and authorized for
employment, and at least 19 years of age. An applicant for a
certificate who is not a citizen of the United States must
sign and file with the State Board of Education a letter of
intent indicating that either (i) within 10 years after the
date that the letter is filed or (ii) at the earliest
opportunity after the person becomes eligible to apply for
U.S. citizenship, the person will apply for U.S. citizenship.
If the holder of a certificate under this Section is not a
citizen of the United States 6 years after the date of the
issuance of the original certificate, any certificate held by
such person on that date shall be cancelled by the board of
education and no other certificate to teach shall be issued
to such person until such person is a citizen of the United
States.
Citizenship is not required for the issuance of a
temporary part-time certificate to participants in approved
training programs for exchange students as described in
Section 21-10.2. A certificate issued under this plan shall
expire on June 30 following the date of issue. One renewal
for one year is authorized if the holder remains as an
official participant in an approved exchange program.
In determining good character under this Section, any
felony conviction of the applicant may be taken into
consideration, but such a conviction shall not operate as a
bar to registration.
No person otherwise qualified shall be denied the right
to be certified, to receive training for the purpose of
becoming a teacher or to engage in practice teaching in any
school because of a physical disability including but not
limited to visual and hearing disabilities; nor shall any
school district refuse to employ a teacher on such grounds,
provided that the person is able to carry out the duties of
the position for which he applies.
No person may be granted or continue to hold a teaching
certificate who has knowingly altered or misrepresented his
or her teaching qualifications in order to acquire the
certificate. Any other certificate held by such person may
be suspended or revoked by the State Teacher Certification
Board, depending upon the severity of the alteration or
misrepresentation.
No one may teach or supervise in the public schools nor
receive for teaching or supervising any part of any public
school fund, who does not hold a certificate of qualification
granted by the State Board of Education or by the State
Teacher Certification Board and a regional superintendent of
schools as hereinafter provided, or by the board of education
of a city having a population exceeding 500,000 inhabitants
except as provided in Section 34-6 and in Section 10-22.34 or
Section 10-22.34b. However, the provisions of this Article do
not apply to a member of the armed forces who is employed as
a teacher of subjects in the Reserve Officer's Training Corps
of any school. Sections 21-2 through 21-24 do not apply to
cities having a population exceeding 500,000 inhabitants,
until July 1, 1988.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the
board of education of any school district may grant to a
teacher of the district a leave of absence with full pay for
a period of not more than one year to permit such teacher to
teach in a foreign state under the provisions of the Exchange
Teacher Program established under Public Law 584, 79th
Congress, and Public Law 402, 80th Congress, as amended. The
school board granting such leave of absence may employ with
or without pay a national of the foreign state wherein the
teacher on leave of absence will teach, if the national is
qualified to teach in that foreign state, and if that
national will teach in a grade level similar to the one which
was taught in such foreign state. The State Board of
Education shall promulgate and enforce such reasonable rules
as may be necessary to effectuate this paragraph.
(Source: P.A. 88-189; 89-159, eff. 1-1-96; 89-397, eff.
8-20-95; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)
(105 ILCS 5/21-11.1) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-11.1)
Sec. 21-11.1. Certificates for equivalent
qualifications. An applicant who holds or is eligible to hold
a teacher's certificate or license under the laws of another
state or territory of the United States may be granted a
corresponding teacher's certificate in Illinois on the
written authorization of the State Board of Education and the
State Teacher Certification Board upon the following
conditions:
(1) That the applicant is at least 19 years of age,
is of good character, of good health, and a citizen of
the United States or legally present and authorized for
employment; and
(2) That the requirements for a similar teacher's
certificate in the particular state or territory were, at
the date of issuance of the certificate, substantially
equal to the requirements in force at the time the
application is made for the certificate in this State.
After January 1, 1988, in addition to satisfying the
foregoing conditions and requirements, an applicant for a
corresponding teaching certificate in Illinois also shall be
required to pass the examinations required under the
provisions of Section 21-1a as directed by the State Board of
Education.
In determining good character under this Section, any
felony conviction of the applicant may be taken into
consideration, but the conviction shall not operate as a bar
to registration.
The State Board of Education in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board shall prescribe rules and
regulations establishing the similarity of certificates in
other states and the standards for determining the
equivalence of requirements.
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)