Public Act 93-0572

HB3587 Enrolled                      LRB093 10197 AMC 12237 b

    AN ACT concerning education.

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

    Section  5.   The  School  Code  is  amended  by changing
Sections 21-1 and 21-11.1 as follows:

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

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