093_SB0492

 
                                     LRB093 10641 NHT 10949 b

 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.
 
                            -2-      LRB093 10641 NHT 10949 b
 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
 
                            -3-      LRB093 10641 NHT 10949 b
 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.)