Section 1.610  Personnel Required to be Qualified

All professional employees of public schools and school districts shall be properly certified as required by Section 21-1 of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/21-1].  No one shall teach or supervise in a public school unless that individual holds a certificate of qualification for the position to which that individual has been assigned, or unless the requirements of 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.464 have been met.  (See Appendices A and B of this Part.)  Schools' and districts' compliance with these requirements shall be a factor in their recognition status, as discussed in Section 1.20 of this Part.

a)         No one shall be certified to teach or supervise in the public schools of the State of Illinois who is not of good character, good health, a citizen of the United States or legally present and authorized for employment and at least 19 years of age (Section 21-1 of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/21-1]).

b)         A person not a citizen of the United States but who meets the other requirements of subsection (a) of this Section may be issued a certificate valid for teaching or supervising in all grades of the common schools.  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 within 10 years after the date that the letter is filed or at the earliest opportunity after the person becomes eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, the person will apply for U.S. citizenship. (Section 21-1 of the School Code)

(Source:  Amended at 28 Ill. Reg. 8486, effective June 1, 2004)