97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5002

 

Introduced 2/7/2012, by Rep. Norine Hammond

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/10-21.9  from Ch. 122, par. 10-21.9
105 ILCS 5/34-18.5  from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.5

    Amends the School Code. Exempts retired certified teachers who are substitute teachers seeking employment from provisions requiring applicants, as a condition of employment with a school district, to authorize a fingerprint-based criminal history records check, a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database, and a check of the Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database if there is no gap in time between the expiration of the retired teacher's teaching certificate and the issuance of the substitute teacher's certificate. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
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 retired certified teachers who
12are substitute teachers seeking employment in cases in which
13there is no gap in time between the expiration of the retired
14teacher's teaching certificate and the issuance of the
15substitute teacher's certificate and school bus driver
16applicants, are required as a condition of employment to
17authorize a fingerprint-based criminal history records check
18to determine if such applicants have been convicted of any of
19the enumerated criminal or drug offenses in subsection (c) of
20this Section or have been convicted, within 7 years of the
21application for employment with the school district, of any
22other felony under the laws of this State or of any offense
23committed or attempted in any other state or against the laws

 

 

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

 

 

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1that the check of the applicant has been requested. The
2Department of State Police and the Federal Bureau of
3Investigation shall furnish, pursuant to a fingerprint-based
4criminal history records check, records of convictions, until
5expunged, to the president of the school board for the school
6district that requested the check, or to the regional
7superintendent who requested the check. The Department shall
8charge the school district or the appropriate regional
9superintendent a fee for conducting such check, which fee shall
10be deposited in the State Police Services Fund and shall not
11exceed the cost of the inquiry; and the applicant shall not be
12charged a fee for such check by the school district or by the
13regional superintendent, except that those applicants seeking
14employment as a substitute teacher with a school district may
15be charged a fee not to exceed the cost of the inquiry. Subject
16to appropriations for these purposes, the State Superintendent
17of Education shall reimburse school districts and regional
18superintendents for fees paid to obtain criminal history
19records checks under this Section.
20    (a-5) The school district or regional superintendent shall
21further perform a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database,
22as authorized by the Sex Offender Community Notification Law,
23for each applicant. This subsection (a-5) does not apply to
24retired certified teachers who are substitute teachers seeking
25employment in cases in which there is no gap in time between
26the expiration of the retired teacher's teaching certificate

 

 

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1and the issuance of the substitute teacher's certificate.
2    (a-6) The school district or regional superintendent shall
3further perform a check of the Statewide Murderer and Violent
4Offender Against Youth Database, as authorized by the Murderer
5and Violent Offender Against Youth Community Notification Law,
6for each applicant. This subsection (a-6) does not apply to
7retired certified teachers who are substitute teachers seeking
8employment in cases in which there is no gap in time between
9the expiration of the retired teacher's teaching certificate
10and the issuance of the substitute teacher's certificate.
11    (b) Any information concerning the record of convictions
12obtained by the president of the school board or the regional
13superintendent shall be confidential and may only be
14transmitted to the superintendent of the school district or his
15designee, the appropriate regional superintendent if the check
16was requested by the school district, the presidents of the
17appropriate school boards if the check was requested from the
18Department of State Police by the regional superintendent, the
19State Superintendent of Education, the State Teacher
20Certification Board, any other person necessary to the decision
21of hiring the applicant for employment, or for clarification
22purposes the Department of State Police or Statewide Sex
23Offender Database, or both. A copy of the record of convictions
24obtained from the Department of State Police shall be provided
25to the applicant for employment. Upon the check of the
26Statewide Sex Offender Database, the school district or

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1Offender Database check has not been initiated. This subsection
2(d) does not apply to retired certified teachers who are
3substitute teachers seeking employment in cases in which there
4is no gap in time between the expiration of the retired
5teacher's teaching certificate and the issuance of the
6substitute teacher's certificate.
7    (e) Upon receipt of the record of a conviction of or a
8finding of child abuse by a holder of any certificate issued
9pursuant to Article 21 or Section 34-8.1 or 34-83 of the School
10Code, the State Superintendent of Education may initiate
11certificate suspension and revocation proceedings as
12authorized by law.
13    (e-5) The superintendent of the employing school board
14shall, in writing, notify the State Superintendent of Education
15and the applicable regional superintendent of schools of any
16certificate holder whom he or she has reasonable cause to
17believe has committed an intentional act of abuse or neglect
18with the result of making a child an abused child or a
19neglected child, as defined in Section 3 of the Abused and
20Neglected Child Reporting Act, and that act resulted in the
21certificate holder's dismissal or resignation from the school
22district. This notification must be submitted within 30 days
23after the dismissal or resignation. The certificate holder must
24also be contemporaneously sent a copy of the notice by the
25superintendent. All correspondence, documentation, and other
26information so received by the regional superintendent of

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1school district, community college district, or private
2school.
3(Source: P.A. 96-431, eff. 8-13-09; 96-1452, eff. 8-20-10;
496-1489, eff. 1-1-11; 97-154, eff. 1-1-12; 97-248, eff. 1-1-12;
597-607, eff. 8-26-11; revised 9-21-11.)
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.5)  (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.5)
7    Sec. 34-18.5. 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 the school district, except retired certified teachers who
12are substitute teachers seeking employment in cases in which
13there is no gap in time between the expiration of the retired
14teacher's teaching certificate and the issuance of the
15substitute teacher's certificate, are required as a condition
16of employment to authorize a fingerprint-based criminal
17history records check to determine if such applicants have been
18convicted of any of the enumerated criminal or drug offenses in
19subsection (c) of this Section or have been convicted, within 7
20years of the application for employment with the school
21district, of any other felony under the laws of this State or
22of any offense committed or attempted in any other state or
23against the laws of the United States that, if committed or
24attempted in this State, would have been punishable as a felony
25under the laws of this State. Authorization for the check shall

 

 

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

 

 

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1criminal history records check, records of convictions, until
2expunged, to the president of the school board for the school
3district that requested the check, or to the regional
4superintendent who requested the check. The Department shall
5charge the school district or the appropriate regional
6superintendent a fee for conducting such check, which fee shall
7be deposited in the State Police Services Fund and shall not
8exceed the cost of the inquiry; and the applicant shall not be
9charged a fee for such check by the school district or by the
10regional superintendent. Subject to appropriations for these
11purposes, the State Superintendent of Education shall
12reimburse the school district and regional superintendent for
13fees paid to obtain criminal history records checks under this
14Section.
15    (a-5) The school district or regional superintendent shall
16further perform a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database,
17as authorized by the Sex Offender Community Notification Law,
18for each applicant. This subsection (a-5) does not apply to
19retired certified teachers who are substitute teachers seeking
20employment in cases in which there is no gap in time between
21the expiration of the retired teacher's teaching certificate
22and the issuance of the substitute teacher's certificate.
23    (a-6) The school district or regional superintendent shall
24further perform a check of the Statewide Murderer and Violent
25Offender Against Youth Database, as authorized by the Murderer
26and Violent Offender Against Youth Community Notification Law,

 

 

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1for each applicant. This subsection (a-6) does not apply to
2retired certified teachers who are substitute teachers seeking
3employment in cases in which there is no gap in time between
4the expiration of the retired teacher's teaching certificate
5and the issuance of the substitute teacher's certificate.
6    (b) Any information concerning the record of convictions
7obtained by the president of the board of education or the
8regional superintendent shall be confidential and may only be
9transmitted to the general superintendent of the school
10district or his designee, the appropriate regional
11superintendent if the check was requested by the board of
12education for the school district, the presidents of the
13appropriate board of education or school boards if the check
14was requested from the Department of State Police by the
15regional superintendent, the State Superintendent of
16Education, the State Teacher Certification Board or any other
17person necessary to the decision of hiring the applicant for
18employment. A copy of the record of convictions obtained from
19the Department of State Police shall be provided to the
20applicant for employment. Upon the check of the Statewide Sex
21Offender Database, the school district or regional
22superintendent shall notify an applicant as to whether or not
23the applicant has been identified in the Database as a sex
24offender. 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) The board of education shall not knowingly employ a
14person who has been convicted of any offense that would subject
15him or her to license suspension or revocation pursuant to
16Section 21B-80 of this Code. Further, the board of education
17shall not knowingly employ a person who has been found to be
18the perpetrator of sexual or physical abuse of any minor under
1918 years of age pursuant to proceedings under Article II of the
20Juvenile Court Act of 1987.
21    (d) The board of education shall not knowingly employ a
22person for whom a criminal history records check and a
23Statewide Sex Offender Database check has not been initiated.
24This subsection (d) does not apply to retired certified
25teachers who are substitute teachers seeking employment in
26cases in which there is no gap in time between the expiration

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

HB5002- 18 -LRB097 15040 NHT 63463 b

1for each employee. Any information concerning the record of
2conviction and identification as a sex offender of any such
3employee obtained by the regional superintendent shall be
4promptly reported to the president of the appropriate school
5board or school boards.
6    (g) In order to student teach in the public schools, a
7person is required to authorize a fingerprint-based criminal
8history records check and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender
9Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against
10Youth Database prior to participating in any field experiences
11in the public schools. Authorization for and payment of the
12costs of the checks must be furnished by the student teacher.
13Results of the checks must be furnished to the higher education
14institution where the student teacher is enrolled and the
15general superintendent of schools.
16    (h) Upon request of a school, school district, community
17college district, or private school, any information obtained
18by the school district pursuant to subsection (f) of this
19Section within the last year must be made available to that
20school, school district, community college district, or
21private school.
22(Source: P.A. 96-431, eff. 8-13-09; 96-1452, eff. 8-20-10;
2397-154, eff. 1-1-12; 97-248, eff. 1-1-12; 97-607, eff. 8-26-11;
24revised 9-28-11.)
 
25    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
26becoming law.