093_HB3207

 
                                     LRB093 10203 AMC 10457 b

 1        AN ACT concerning education.

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

 4        Section  5.   The  School  Code  is  amended  by changing
 5    Section 21-1 as follows:

 6        (105 ILCS 5/21-1) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-1)
 7        Sec. 21-1.  Qualification of teachers.   No  one  may  be
 8    certified to teach or supervise in the public schools of this
 9    State who is not of good character, good health, a citizen of
10    the  United  States  or  legally  present  and authorized for
11    employment, and at least 19 years of age.  If the holder of a
12    certificate under this Section is not a citizen of the United
13    States 10 6 years after the  date  of  the  issuance  of  the
14    original  certificate, any certificate held by such person on
15    that date shall be cancelled by the board of education and no
16    other certificate to teach shall be  issued  to  such  person
17    until such person is a citizen of the United States.
18        Citizenship  is  not  required  for  the  issuance  of  a
19    temporary  part-time  certificate to participants in approved
20    training programs  for  exchange  students  as  described  in
21    Section  21-10.2.  A certificate issued under this plan shall
22    expire on June 30 following the date of issue.   One  renewal
23    for  one  year  is  authorized  if  the  holder remains as an
24    official participant in an approved exchange program.
25        In determining good character  under  this  Section,  any
26    felony   conviction  of  the  applicant  may  be  taken  into
27    consideration, but such a conviction shall not operate  as  a
28    bar to registration.
29        No  person  otherwise qualified shall be denied the right
30    to be certified, to  receive  training  for  the  purpose  of
31    becoming  a  teacher or to engage in practice teaching in any
 
                            -2-      LRB093 10203 AMC 10457 b
 1    school because of a physical  disability  including  but  not
 2    limited  to  visual  and  hearing disabilities; nor shall any
 3    school district refuse to employ a teacher on  such  grounds,
 4    provided  that  the person is able to carry out the duties of
 5    the position for which he applies.
 6        No person may be granted or continue to hold  a  teaching
 7    certificate  who  has knowingly altered or misrepresented his
 8    or her  teaching  qualifications  in  order  to  acquire  the
 9    certificate.   Any  other certificate held by such person may
10    be suspended or revoked by the  State  Teacher  Certification
11    Board,  depending  upon  the  severity  of  the alteration or
12    misrepresentation.
13        No one may teach or supervise in the public  schools  nor
14    receive  for  teaching  or supervising any part of any public
15    school fund, who does not hold a certificate of qualification
16    granted by the State Board  of  Education  or  by  the  State
17    Teacher  Certification Board and a regional superintendent of
18    schools as hereinafter provided, or by the board of education
19    of a city having a population exceeding  500,000  inhabitants
20    except as provided in Section 34-6 and in Section 10-22.34 or
21    Section 10-22.34b. However, the provisions of this Article do
22    not  apply to a member of the armed forces who is employed as
23    a teacher of subjects in the Reserve Officer's Training Corps
24    of any school.  Sections 21-2 through 21-24 do not  apply  to
25    cities  having  a  population  exceeding 500,000 inhabitants,
26    until July 1, 1988.
27        Notwithstanding any other  provision  of  this  Act,  the
28    board  of  education  of  any  school district may grant to a
29    teacher of the district a leave of absence with full pay  for
30    a  period of not more than one year to permit such teacher to
31    teach in a foreign state under the provisions of the Exchange
32    Teacher  Program  established  under  Public  Law  584,  79th
33    Congress, and Public Law 402, 80th Congress, as amended.  The
34    school board granting such leave of absence may  employ  with
 
                            -3-      LRB093 10203 AMC 10457 b
 1    or  without  pay  a national of the foreign state wherein the
 2    teacher on leave of absence will teach, if  the  national  is
 3    qualified  to  teach  in  that  foreign  state,  and  if that
 4    national will teach in a grade level similar to the one which
 5    was  taught  in  such  foreign  state.  The  State  Board  of
 6    Education shall promulgate and enforce such reasonable  rules
 7    as may be necessary to effectuate this paragraph.
 8    (Source:  P.A.  88-189;  89-159,  eff.  1-1-96;  89-397, eff.
 9    8-20-95; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)