Rep. Norine Hammond

Filed: 2/27/2012

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 5002

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 5002 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
510-21.9 and 34-18.5 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/10-21.9)  (from Ch. 122, par. 10-21.9)
7    Sec. 10-21.9. Criminal history records checks and checks of
8the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and
9Violent Offender Against Youth Database.
10    (a) Certified and noncertified applicants for employment
11with a school district, except as provided in subsection (d-5)
12of this Section and except for school bus driver applicants,
13are required as a condition of employment to authorize a
14fingerprint-based criminal history records check to determine
15if such applicants have been convicted of any of the enumerated
16criminal or drug offenses in subsection (c) of this Section or

 

 

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1have been convicted, within 7 years of the application for
2employment with the school district, of any other felony under
3the laws of this State or of any offense committed or attempted
4in any other state or against the laws of the United States
5that, if committed or attempted in this State, would have been
6punishable as a felony under the laws of this State.
7Authorization for the check shall be furnished by the applicant
8to the school district, except that if the applicant is a
9substitute teacher seeking employment in more than one school
10district, a teacher seeking concurrent part-time employment
11positions with more than one school district (as a reading
12specialist, special education teacher or otherwise), or an
13educational support personnel employee seeking employment
14positions with more than one district, any such district may
15require the applicant to furnish authorization for the check to
16the regional superintendent of the educational service region
17in which are located the school districts in which the
18applicant is seeking employment as a substitute or concurrent
19part-time teacher or concurrent educational support personnel
20employee. Upon receipt of this authorization, the school
21district or the appropriate regional superintendent, as the
22case may be, shall submit the applicant's name, sex, race, date
23of birth, social security number, fingerprint images, and other
24identifiers, as prescribed by the Department of State Police,
25to the Department. The regional superintendent submitting the
26requisite information to the Department of State Police shall

 

 

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1promptly notify the school districts in which the applicant is
2seeking employment as a substitute or concurrent part-time
3teacher or concurrent educational support personnel employee
4that the check of the applicant has been requested. The
5Department of State Police and the Federal Bureau of
6Investigation shall furnish, pursuant to a fingerprint-based
7criminal history records check, records of convictions, until
8expunged, to the president of the school board for the school
9district that requested the check, or to the regional
10superintendent who requested the check. The Department shall
11charge the school district or the appropriate regional
12superintendent a fee for conducting such check, which fee shall
13be deposited in the State Police Services Fund and shall not
14exceed the cost of the inquiry; and the applicant shall not be
15charged a fee for such check by the school district or by the
16regional superintendent, except that those applicants seeking
17employment as a substitute teacher with a school district may
18be charged a fee not to exceed the cost of the inquiry. Subject
19to appropriations for these purposes, the State Superintendent
20of Education shall reimburse school districts and regional
21superintendents for fees paid to obtain criminal history
22records checks under this Section.
23    (a-5) The school district or regional superintendent shall
24further perform a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database,
25as authorized by the Sex Offender Community Notification Law,
26for each applicant.

 

 

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1    (a-6) The school district or regional superintendent shall
2further perform a check of the Statewide Murderer and Violent
3Offender Against Youth Database, as authorized by the Murderer
4and Violent Offender Against Youth Community Notification Law,
5for each applicant.
6    (b) Any information concerning the record of convictions
7obtained by the president of the school board or the regional
8superintendent shall be confidential and may only be
9transmitted to the superintendent of the school district or his
10designee, the appropriate regional superintendent if the check
11was requested by the school district, the presidents of the
12appropriate school boards if the check was requested from the
13Department of State Police by the regional superintendent, the
14State Superintendent of Education, the State Teacher
15Certification Board, any other person necessary to the decision
16of hiring the applicant for employment, or for clarification
17purposes the Department of State Police or Statewide Sex
18Offender Database, or both. A copy of the record of convictions
19obtained from the Department of State Police shall be provided
20to the applicant for employment. Upon the check of the
21Statewide Sex Offender Database, the school district or
22regional superintendent shall notify an applicant as to whether
23or not the applicant has been identified in the Database as a
24sex offender. If a check of an applicant for employment as a
25substitute or concurrent part-time teacher or concurrent
26educational support personnel employee in more than one school

 

 

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1district was requested by the regional superintendent, and the
2Department of State Police upon a check ascertains that the
3applicant has not been convicted of any of the enumerated
4criminal or drug offenses in subsection (c) or has not been
5convicted, within 7 years of the application for employment
6with the school district, of any other felony under the laws of
7this State or of any offense committed or attempted in any
8other state or against the laws of the United States that, if
9committed or attempted in this State, would have been
10punishable as a felony under the laws of this State and so
11notifies the regional superintendent and if the regional
12superintendent upon a check ascertains that the applicant has
13not been identified in the Sex Offender Database as a sex
14offender, then the regional superintendent shall issue to the
15applicant a certificate evidencing that as of the date
16specified by the Department of State Police the applicant has
17not been convicted of any of the enumerated criminal or drug
18offenses in subsection (c) or has not been convicted, within 7
19years of the application for employment with the school
20district, of any other felony under the laws of this State or
21of any offense committed or attempted in any other state or
22against the laws of the United States that, if committed or
23attempted in this State, would have been punishable as a felony
24under the laws of this State and evidencing that as of the date
25that the regional superintendent conducted a check of the
26Statewide Sex Offender Database, the applicant has not been

 

 

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1identified in the Database as a sex offender. The school board
2of any school district may rely on the certificate issued by
3any regional superintendent to that substitute teacher,
4concurrent part-time teacher, or concurrent educational
5support personnel employee or may initiate its own criminal
6history records check of the applicant through the Department
7of State Police and its own check of the Statewide Sex Offender
8Database as provided in subsection (a). Any person who releases
9any confidential information concerning any criminal
10convictions of an applicant for employment shall be guilty of a
11Class A misdemeanor, unless the release of such information is
12authorized by this Section.
13    (c) No school board shall knowingly employ a person who has
14been convicted of any offense that would subject him or her to
15license suspension or revocation pursuant to Section 21B-80 of
16this Code. Further, no school board shall knowingly employ a
17person who has been found to be the perpetrator of sexual or
18physical abuse of any minor under 18 years of age pursuant to
19proceedings under Article II of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987.
20    (d) No school board shall knowingly employ a person for
21whom a criminal history records check and a Statewide Sex
22Offender Database check has not been initiated.
23    (d-5) The requirements of this Section do not apply to
24individuals who (i) submitted to a fingerprint-based criminal
25history records check as a condition of employment with a
26school district and (ii) upon retirement from employment with

 

 

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1that school district, has sought and obtained employment with
2that school district as a substitute teacher. A school district
3may require an applicant for employment as described in this
4subsection (d-5) to submit to a fingerprint-based criminal
5history records check through the Federal Bureau of
6Investigation and a check of the Statewide Sex Offender
7Database and the Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender
8Against Youth Database.
9    (e) Upon receipt of the record of a conviction of or a
10finding of child abuse by a holder of any certificate issued
11pursuant to Article 21 or Section 34-8.1 or 34-83 of the School
12Code, the State Superintendent of Education may initiate
13certificate suspension and revocation proceedings as
14authorized by law.
15    (e-5) The superintendent of the employing school board
16shall, in writing, notify the State Superintendent of Education
17and the applicable regional superintendent of schools of any
18certificate holder whom he or she has reasonable cause to
19believe has committed an intentional act of abuse or neglect
20with the result of making a child an abused child or a
21neglected child, as defined in Section 3 of the Abused and
22Neglected Child Reporting Act, and that act resulted in the
23certificate holder's dismissal or resignation from the school
24district. This notification must be submitted within 30 days
25after the dismissal or resignation. The certificate holder must
26also be contemporaneously sent a copy of the notice by the

 

 

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1superintendent. All correspondence, documentation, and other
2information so received by the regional superintendent of
3schools, the State Superintendent of Education, the State Board
4of Education, or the State Teacher Certification Board under
5this subsection (e-5) is confidential and must not be disclosed
6to third parties, except (i) as necessary for the State
7Superintendent of Education or his or her designee to
8investigate and prosecute pursuant to Article 21 of this Code,
9(ii) pursuant to a court order, (iii) for disclosure to the
10certificate holder or his or her representative, or (iv) as
11otherwise provided in this Article and provided that any such
12information admitted into evidence in a hearing is exempt from
13this confidentiality and non-disclosure requirement. Except
14for an act of willful or wanton misconduct, any superintendent
15who provides notification as required in this subsection (e-5)
16shall have immunity from any liability, whether civil or
17criminal or that otherwise might result by reason of such
18action.
19    (f) After January 1, 1990 the provisions of this Section
20shall apply to all employees of persons or firms holding
21contracts with any school district including, but not limited
22to, food service workers, school bus drivers and other
23transportation employees, who have direct, daily contact with
24the pupils of any school in such district. For purposes of
25criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex
26Offender Database on employees of persons or firms holding

 

 

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1contracts with more than one school district and assigned to
2more than one school district, the regional superintendent of
3the educational service region in which the contracting school
4districts are located may, at the request of any such school
5district, be responsible for receiving the authorization for a
6criminal history records check prepared by each such employee
7and submitting the same to the Department of State Police and
8for conducting a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database
9for each employee. Any information concerning the record of
10conviction and identification as a sex offender of any such
11employee obtained by the regional superintendent shall be
12promptly reported to the president of the appropriate school
13board or school boards.
14    (g) In order to student teach in the public schools, a
15person is required to authorize a fingerprint-based criminal
16history records check and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender
17Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against
18Youth Database prior to participating in any field experiences
19in the public schools. Authorization for and payment of the
20costs of the checks must be furnished by the student teacher.
21Results of the checks must be furnished to the higher education
22institution where the student teacher is enrolled and the
23superintendent of the school district where the student is
24assigned.
25    (h) Upon request of a school, school district, community
26college district, or private school, any information obtained

 

 

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1by a school district pursuant to subsection (f) of this Section
2within the last year must be made available to that school,
3school district, community college district, or private
4school.
5(Source: P.A. 96-431, eff. 8-13-09; 96-1452, eff. 8-20-10;
696-1489, eff. 1-1-11; 97-154, eff. 1-1-12; 97-248, eff. 1-1-12;
797-607, eff. 8-26-11; revised 9-21-11.)
 
8    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.5)  (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.5)
9    Sec. 34-18.5. Criminal history records checks and checks of
10the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and
11Violent Offender Against Youth Database.
12    (a) Certified and noncertified applicants for employment
13with the school district, except as provided in subsection
14(d-5) of this Section, are required as a condition of
15employment to authorize a fingerprint-based criminal history
16records check to determine if such applicants have been
17convicted of any of the enumerated criminal or drug offenses in
18subsection (c) of this Section or have been convicted, within 7
19years of the application for employment with the school
20district, of any other felony under the laws of this State or
21of any offense committed or attempted in any other state or
22against the laws of the United States that, if committed or
23attempted in this State, would have been punishable as a felony
24under the laws of this State. Authorization for the check shall
25be furnished by the applicant to the school district, except

 

 

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1that if the applicant is a substitute teacher seeking
2employment in more than one school district, or a teacher
3seeking concurrent part-time employment positions with more
4than one school district (as a reading specialist, special
5education teacher or otherwise), or an educational support
6personnel employee seeking employment positions with more than
7one district, any such district may require the applicant to
8furnish authorization for the check to the regional
9superintendent of the educational service region in which are
10located the school districts in which the applicant is seeking
11employment as a substitute or concurrent part-time teacher or
12concurrent educational support personnel employee. Upon
13receipt of this authorization, the school district or the
14appropriate regional superintendent, as the case may be, shall
15submit the applicant's name, sex, race, date of birth, social
16security number, fingerprint images, and other identifiers, as
17prescribed by the Department of State Police, to the
18Department. The regional superintendent submitting the
19requisite information to the Department of State Police shall
20promptly notify the school districts in which the applicant is
21seeking employment as a substitute or concurrent part-time
22teacher or concurrent educational support personnel employee
23that the check of the applicant has been requested. The
24Department of State Police and the Federal Bureau of
25Investigation shall furnish, pursuant to a fingerprint-based
26criminal history records check, records of convictions, until

 

 

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1expunged, to the president of the school board for the school
2district that requested the check, or to the regional
3superintendent who requested the check. The Department shall
4charge the school district or the appropriate regional
5superintendent a fee for conducting such check, which fee shall
6be deposited in the State Police Services Fund and shall not
7exceed the cost of the inquiry; and the applicant shall not be
8charged a fee for such check by the school district or by the
9regional superintendent. Subject to appropriations for these
10purposes, the State Superintendent of Education shall
11reimburse the school district and regional superintendent for
12fees paid to obtain criminal history records checks under this
13Section.
14    (a-5) The school district or regional superintendent shall
15further perform a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database,
16as authorized by the Sex Offender Community Notification Law,
17for each applicant.
18    (a-6) The school district or regional superintendent shall
19further perform a check of the Statewide Murderer and Violent
20Offender Against Youth Database, as authorized by the Murderer
21and Violent Offender Against Youth Community Notification Law,
22for each applicant.
23    (b) Any information concerning the record of convictions
24obtained by the president of the board of education or the
25regional superintendent shall be confidential and may only be
26transmitted to the general superintendent of the school

 

 

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1district or his designee, the appropriate regional
2superintendent if the check was requested by the board of
3education for the school district, the presidents of the
4appropriate board of education or school boards if the check
5was requested from the Department of State Police by the
6regional superintendent, the State Superintendent of
7Education, the State Teacher Certification Board or any other
8person necessary to the decision of hiring the applicant for
9employment. A copy of the record of convictions obtained from
10the Department of State Police shall be provided to the
11applicant for employment. Upon the check of the Statewide Sex
12Offender Database, the school district or regional
13superintendent shall notify an applicant as to whether or not
14the applicant has been identified in the Database as a sex
15offender. If a check of an applicant for employment as a
16substitute or concurrent part-time teacher or concurrent
17educational support personnel employee in more than one school
18district was requested by the regional superintendent, and the
19Department of State Police upon a check ascertains that the
20applicant has not been convicted of any of the enumerated
21criminal or drug offenses in subsection (c) or has not been
22convicted, within 7 years of the application for employment
23with the school district, of any other felony under the laws of
24this State or of any offense committed or attempted in any
25other state or against the laws of the United States that, if
26committed or attempted in this State, would have been

 

 

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1punishable as a felony under the laws of this State and so
2notifies the regional superintendent and if the regional
3superintendent upon a check ascertains that the applicant has
4not been identified in the Sex Offender Database as a sex
5offender, then the regional superintendent shall issue to the
6applicant a certificate evidencing that as of the date
7specified by the Department of State Police the applicant has
8not been convicted of any of the enumerated criminal or drug
9offenses in subsection (c) or has not been convicted, within 7
10years of the application for employment with the school
11district, of any other felony under the laws of this State or
12of any offense committed or attempted in any other state or
13against the laws of the United States that, if committed or
14attempted in this State, would have been punishable as a felony
15under the laws of this State and evidencing that as of the date
16that the regional superintendent conducted a check of the
17Statewide Sex Offender Database, the applicant has not been
18identified in the Database as a sex offender. The school board
19of any school district may rely on the certificate issued by
20any regional superintendent to that substitute teacher,
21concurrent part-time teacher, or concurrent educational
22support personnel employee or may initiate its own criminal
23history records check of the applicant through the Department
24of State Police and its own check of the Statewide Sex Offender
25Database as provided in subsection (a). Any person who releases
26any confidential information concerning any criminal

 

 

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1convictions of an applicant for employment shall be guilty of a
2Class A misdemeanor, unless the release of such information is
3authorized by this Section.
4    (c) The board of education shall not knowingly employ a
5person who has been convicted of any offense that would subject
6him or her to license suspension or revocation pursuant to
7Section 21B-80 of this Code. Further, the board of education
8shall not knowingly employ a person who has been found to be
9the perpetrator of sexual or physical abuse of any minor under
1018 years of age pursuant to proceedings under Article II of the
11Juvenile Court Act of 1987.
12    (d) The board of education shall not knowingly employ a
13person for whom a criminal history records check and a
14Statewide Sex Offender Database check has not been initiated.
15    (d-5) The requirements of this Section do not apply to
16individuals who (i) submitted to a fingerprint-based criminal
17history records check as a condition of employment with the
18school district and (ii) upon retirement from employment with
19the school district, has sought and obtained employment with
20the school district as a substitute teacher. The school
21district may require an applicant for employment as described
22in this subsection (d-5) to submit to a fingerprint-based
23criminal history records check through the Federal Bureau of
24Investigation and a check of the Statewide Sex Offender
25Database and the Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender
26Against Youth Database.

 

 

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1    (e) Upon receipt of the record of a conviction of or a
2finding of child abuse by a holder of any certificate issued
3pursuant to Article 21 or Section 34-8.1 or 34-83 of the School
4Code, the State Superintendent of Education may initiate
5certificate suspension and revocation proceedings as
6authorized by law.
7    (e-5) The general superintendent of schools shall, in
8writing, notify the State Superintendent of Education of any
9certificate holder whom he or she has reasonable cause to
10believe has committed an intentional act of abuse or neglect
11with the result of making a child an abused child or a
12neglected child, as defined in Section 3 of the Abused and
13Neglected Child Reporting Act, and that act resulted in the
14certificate holder's dismissal or resignation from the school
15district. This notification must be submitted within 30 days
16after the dismissal or resignation. The certificate holder must
17also be contemporaneously sent a copy of the notice by the
18superintendent. All correspondence, documentation, and other
19information so received by the State Superintendent of
20Education, the State Board of Education, or the State Teacher
21Certification Board under this subsection (e-5) is
22confidential and must not be disclosed to third parties, except
23(i) as necessary for the State Superintendent of Education or
24his or her designee to investigate and prosecute pursuant to
25Article 21 of this Code, (ii) pursuant to a court order, (iii)
26for disclosure to the certificate holder or his or her

 

 

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1representative, or (iv) as otherwise provided in this Article
2and provided that any such information admitted into evidence
3in a hearing is exempt from this confidentiality and
4non-disclosure requirement. Except for an act of willful or
5wanton misconduct, any superintendent who provides
6notification as required in this subsection (e-5) shall have
7immunity from any liability, whether civil or criminal or that
8otherwise might result by reason of such action.
9    (f) After March 19, 1990, the provisions of this Section
10shall apply to all employees of persons or firms holding
11contracts with any school district including, but not limited
12to, food service workers, school bus drivers and other
13transportation employees, who have direct, daily contact with
14the pupils of any school in such district. For purposes of
15criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex
16Offender Database on employees of persons or firms holding
17contracts with more than one school district and assigned to
18more than one school district, the regional superintendent of
19the educational service region in which the contracting school
20districts are located may, at the request of any such school
21district, be responsible for receiving the authorization for a
22criminal history records check prepared by each such employee
23and submitting the same to the Department of State Police and
24for conducting a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database
25for each employee. Any information concerning the record of
26conviction and identification as a sex offender of any such

 

 

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1employee obtained by the regional superintendent shall be
2promptly reported to the president of the appropriate school
3board or school boards.
4    (g) In order to student teach in the public schools, a
5person is required to authorize a fingerprint-based criminal
6history records check and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender
7Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against
8Youth Database prior to participating in any field experiences
9in the public schools. Authorization for and payment of the
10costs of the checks must be furnished by the student teacher.
11Results of the checks must be furnished to the higher education
12institution where the student teacher is enrolled and the
13general superintendent of schools.
14    (h) Upon request of a school, school district, community
15college district, or private school, any information obtained
16by the school district pursuant to subsection (f) of this
17Section within the last year must be made available to that
18school, school district, community college district, or
19private school.
20(Source: P.A. 96-431, eff. 8-13-09; 96-1452, eff. 8-20-10;
2197-154, eff. 1-1-12; 97-248, eff. 1-1-12; 97-607, eff. 8-26-11;
22revised 9-28-11.)
 
23    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
24becoming law.".