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92_HB4209eng HB4209 Engrossed LRB9214879NTsb 1 AN ACT concerning schools. 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 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. However, the 18 State Superintendent of Education may extend this 6-year time 19 limit for a period of 2 years if the person certifies his or 20 her intention to become a United States citizen and furnishes 21 proof that he or she has filed an application for United 22 States citizenship. Upon the expiration of this extension 23 period, the State Superintendent of Education may grant an 24 additional extension of 2 years upon proof that the person's 25 application for citizenship is pending. If the person is not 26 a United States citizen by the end of this additional 27 extension period, any certificate held by that person at the 28 end of this period shall be cancelled by the board of 29 education and no other certificate may be issued until the 30 person furnishes proof that he or she is a United States 31 citizen. HB4209 Engrossed -2- LRB9214879NTsb 1 Citizenship is not required for the issuance of a 2 temporary part-time certificate to participants in approved 3 training programs for exchange students as described in 4 Section 21-10.2. A certificate issued under this plan shall 5 expire on June 30 following the date of issue. One renewal 6 for one year is authorized if the holder remains as an 7 official participant in an approved exchange program. 8 In determining good character under this Section, any 9 felony conviction of the applicant may be taken into 10 consideration, but such a conviction shall not operate as a 11 bar to registration. 12 No person otherwise qualified shall be denied the right 13 to be certified, to receive training for the purpose of 14 becoming a teacher or to engage in practice teaching in any 15 school because of a physical disability including but not 16 limited to visual and hearing disabilities; nor shall any 17 school district refuse to employ a teacher on such grounds, 18 provided that the person is able to carry out the duties of 19 the position for which he applies. 20 No person may be granted or continue to hold a teaching 21 certificate who has knowingly altered or misrepresented his 22 or her teaching qualifications in order to acquire the 23 certificate. Any other certificate held by such person may 24 be suspended or revoked by the State Teacher Certification 25 Board, depending upon the severity of the alteration or 26 misrepresentation. 27 No one may teach or supervise in the public schools nor 28 receive for teaching or supervising any part of any public 29 school fund, who does not hold a certificate of qualification 30 granted by the State Board of Education or by the State 31 Teacher Certification Board and a regional superintendent of 32 schools as hereinafter provided, or by the board of education 33 of a city having a population exceeding 500,000 inhabitants 34 except as provided in Section 34-6 and in Section 10-22.34 or HB4209 Engrossed -3- LRB9214879NTsb 1 Section 10-22.34b. However, the provisions of this Article do 2 not apply to a member of the armed forces who is employed as 3 a teacher of subjects in the Reserve Officer's Training Corps 4 of any school. Sections 21-2 through 21-24 do not apply to 5 cities having a population exceeding 500,000 inhabitants, 6 until July 1, 1988. 7 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the 8 board of education of any school district may grant to a 9 teacher of the district a leave of absence with full pay for 10 a period of not more than one year to permit such teacher to 11 teach in a foreign state under the provisions of the Exchange 12 Teacher Program established under Public Law 584, 79th 13 Congress, and Public Law 402, 80th Congress, as amended. The 14 school board granting such leave of absence may employ with 15 or without pay a national of the foreign state wherein the 16 teacher on leave of absence will teach, if the national is 17 qualified to teach in that foreign state, and if that 18 national will teach in a grade level similar to the one which 19 was taught in such foreign state. The State Board of 20 Education shall promulgate and enforce such reasonable rules 21 as may be necessary to effectuate this paragraph. 22 (Source: P.A. 88-189; 89-159, eff. 1-1-96; 89-397, eff. 23 8-20-95; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)