093_HB3587

 
                                     LRB093 10197 AMC 12237 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    Sections 21-1 and 21-11.1 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, of good health, a citizen
10    of  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 6 years after the date of the issuance of the original
14    certificate, any certificate held by such person on that date
15    shall be cancelled by the board of  education  and  no  other
16    certificate  to  teach  shall  be issued to such person until
17    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
 
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 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 10197 AMC 12237 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.)

10        (105 ILCS 5/21-11.1) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-11.1)
11        Sec.     21-11.1.      Certificates     for    equivalent
12    qualifications. An applicant who holds or is eligible to hold
13    a teacher's certificate or license under the laws of  another
14    state  or  territory  of  the  United States may be granted a
15    corresponding  teacher's  certificate  in  Illinois  on   the
16    written authorization of the State Board of Education and the
17    State   Teacher   Certification   Board  upon  the  following
18    conditions:
19             (1)  That the applicant is at least 19 years of age,
20        is of good character, of good health, and  a  citizen  of
21        the  United  States or legally present and authorized for
22        employment; and
23             (2)  That the requirements for a  similar  teacher's
24        certificate in the particular state or territory were, at
25        the  date  of  issuance of the certificate, substantially
26        equal to the  requirements  in  force  at  the  time  the
27        application is made for the certificate in this State.
28        After  January  1,  1988,  in  addition to satisfying the
29    foregoing conditions and requirements,  an  applicant  for  a
30    corresponding  teaching certificate in Illinois also shall be
31    required  to  pass  the  examinations  required   under   the
32    provisions of Section 21-1a as directed by the State Board of
33    Education.
 
                            -4-      LRB093 10197 AMC 12237 b
 1        In  determining  good  character  under this Section, any
 2    felony  conviction  of  the  applicant  may  be  taken   into
 3    consideration,  but the conviction shall not operate as a bar
 4    to registration.
 5        The State Board of Education  in  consultation  with  the
 6    State  Teacher  Certification Board shall prescribe rules and
 7    regulations establishing the similarity  of  certificates  in
 8    other   states   and   the   standards  for  determining  the
 9    equivalence of requirements.
10    (Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)