99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB3304

 

Introduced 2/19/2016, by Sen. Chapin Rose

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/21B-15

    Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides that the Article does not apply to a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches teaching no more than one high school class per school year if the class has been approved by the State Board of Education as having academic value, in which case the student may be awarded course credit for the class.


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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 Section
521B-15 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/21B-15)
7    Sec. 21B-15. Qualifications of educators.
8    (a) No one may be licensed to teach or supervise or be
9otherwise employed in the public schools of this State who is
10not of good character and at least 20 years of age.
11    In determining good character under this Section, the State
12Superintendent of Education shall take into consideration the
13disciplinary actions of other states or national entities
14against certificates or licenses issued by those states and
15held by individuals from those states. In addition, any felony
16conviction of the applicant may be taken into consideration;
17however, no one may be licensed to teach or supervise in the
18public schools of this State who has been convicted of an
19offense set forth in Section 21B-80 of this Code. Unless the
20conviction is for an offense set forth in Section 21B-80 of
21this Code, an applicant must be permitted to submit character
22references or other written material before such a conviction
23or other information regarding the applicant's character may be

 

 

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1used by the State Superintendent of Education as a basis for
2denying the application.
3    (b) No person otherwise qualified shall be denied the right
4to be licensed or to receive training for the purpose of
5becoming an educator because of a physical disability,
6including, but not limited to, visual and hearing disabilities;
7nor shall any school district refuse to employ a teacher on
8such grounds, provided that the person is able to carry out the
9duties of the position for which he or she applies.
10    (c) No person may be granted or continue to hold an
11educator license who has knowingly altered or misrepresented
12his or her qualifications, in this State or any other state, in
13order to acquire or renew the license. Any other license issued
14under this Article held by the person may be suspended or
15revoked by the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board,
16depending upon the severity of the alteration or
17misrepresentation.
18    (d) No one may teach or supervise in the public schools nor
19receive for teaching or supervising any part of any public
20school fund who does not hold an educator license granted by
21the State Superintendent of Education as provided in this
22Article. However, the provisions of this Article do not apply
23(i) to a member of the armed forces who is employed as a
24teacher of subjects in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps of
25any school, (ii) nor to an individual teaching a dual credit
26course as provided for in the Dual Credit Quality Act, or (iii)

 

 

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1to a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its
2branches under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 teaching no
3more than one high school class per school year if the class
4has been approved by the State Board of Education as having
5academic value, in which case the student may be awarded course
6credit for the class.
7    (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, the
8school board of a school district may grant to a teacher of the
9district a leave of absence with full pay for a period of not
10more than one year to permit the teacher to teach in a foreign
11state under the provisions of the Exchange Teacher Program
12established under Public Law 584, 79th Congress, and Public Law
13402, 80th Congress, as amended. The school board granting the
14leave of absence may employ, with or without pay, a national of
15the foreign state wherein the teacher on the leave of absence
16is to teach if the national is qualified to teach in that
17foreign state and if that national is to teach in a grade level
18similar to the one that was taught in the foreign state. The
19State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
20Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt rules as
21may be necessary to implement this subsection (e).
22(Source: P.A. 97-607, eff. 8-26-11.)