(105 ILCS 5/22-94) Sec. 22-94. Employment history review. (a) This Section applies to all permanent and temporary positions for employment with a school or a contractor of a school involving direct contact with children or students. (b) In this Section: "Contractor" means firms holding contracts with any school including, but not limited to, food service workers, school bus drivers and other transportation employees, who have direct contact with children or students. "Direct contact with children or students" means the possibility of care, supervision, guidance, or control of children or students or routine interaction with children or students. "School" means a public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school. "Sexual misconduct" has the meaning ascribed to it in subsection (c) of Section 22-85.5 of this Code. (c) Prior to hiring an applicant to work directly with children or students, a school or contractor must ensure that the following criteria are met: (1) the school or contractor has no knowledge or |
| information pertaining to the applicant that would disqualify the applicant from employment;
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(2) the applicant swears or affirms that the
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| applicant is not disqualified from employment;
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(3) using the template developed by the State Board
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| of Education, the applicant provides all of the following:
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(A) a list, including the name, address,
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| telephone number, and other relevant contact information of the following:
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(i) the applicant's current employer;
(ii) all former employers of the applicant
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| that were schools or school contractors, as well as all former employers at which the applicant had direct contact with children or students;
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(B) A written authorization that consents to
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| and authorizes disclosure by the applicant's current and former employers under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (3) of the information requested under paragraph (4) of this subsection (c) and the release of related records and that releases those employers from any liability that may arise from such disclosure or release of records pursuant to subsection (e).
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(C) A written statement of whether the
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(i) has been the subject of a sexual
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| misconduct allegation, unless a subsequent investigation resulted in a finding that the allegation was false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated;
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(ii) has ever been discharged from, been
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| asked to resign from, resigned from, or otherwise been separated from any employment, has ever been disciplined by an employer, or has ever had an employment contract not renewed due to an adjudication or finding of sexual misconduct or while an allegation of sexual misconduct was pending or under investigation, unless the investigation resulted in a finding that the allegation was false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated; or
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(iii) has ever had a license or
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| certificate suspended, surrendered, or revoked or had an application for licensure, approval, or endorsement denied due to an adjudication or finding of sexual misconduct or while an allegation of sexual misconduct was pending or under investigation, unless the investigation resulted in a finding that the allegation was false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated.
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(4) The school or contractor shall initiate a
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| review of the employment history of the applicant by contacting those employers listed by the applicant under subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (c) and, using the template developed by the State Board of Education, request all of the following information:
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(A) the dates of employment of the applicant;
(B) a statement as to whether the applicant:
(i) has been the subject of a sexual
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| misconduct allegation, unless a subsequent investigation resulted in a finding that the allegation was false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated;
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(ii) was discharged from, was asked to
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| resign from, resigned from, or was otherwise separated from any employment, was disciplined by the employer, or had an employment contract not renewed due to an adjudication or finding of sexual misconduct or while an allegation of sexual misconduct was pending or under investigation, unless the investigation resulted in a finding that the allegation was false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated; or
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(iii) has ever had a license or
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| certificate suspended, surrendered, or revoked due to an adjudication or finding of sexual misconduct or while an allegation of sexual misconduct was pending or under investigation, unless the investigation resulted in a finding that the allegation was false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated.
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(C) The template shall include the following
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| option: if the employer does not have records or evidence regarding the questions in items (i) through (iii) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subsection (c), the employer may state that there is no knowledge of information pertaining to the applicant that would disqualify the applicant from employment.
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(5) For applicants licensed by the State Board of
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| Education, the school district, charter school, or nonpublic school shall verify the applicant's reported previous employers with previous employers in the State Board of Education's educator licensure database to ensure accuracy.
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(d) An applicant who provides false information or willfully fails to disclose information required in subsection (c) shall be subject to discipline, up to and including termination or denial of employment.
(e) No later than 20 days after receiving a request for information required under paragraph (4) of subsection (c), an employer who has or had an employment relationship with the applicant shall disclose the information requested. If the employer has an office of human resources or a central office, information shall be provided by that office. The employer who has or had an employment relationship with the
applicant shall disclose the information on the template developed by the State Board of Education. For any affirmative response to items (i) through (iii) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) or subsection (c), the employer who has or had an employment relationship with the
applicant shall provide additional information about the matters disclosed and all related records.
A school shall complete the template at time of separation from employment, or at the request of the employee, and maintain it as part of the employee's personnel file. If the school completes an investigation after an employee's separation from employment, the school shall update the information accordingly.
Information received under this Section shall not be deemed a public record.
A school or contractor who receives information under this subsection (e) may use the information for the purpose of evaluating an applicant's fitness to be hired or for continued employment and may report the information, as appropriate, to the State Board of Education, a State licensing agency, a law enforcement agency, a child protective services agency, another school or contractor, or a prospective employer.
An employer, school, school administrator, or contractor who provides information or records about a current or former employee or applicant under this Section is immune from criminal and civil liability for the disclosure of the information or records, unless the information or records provided were knowingly false. This immunity shall be in addition to and not a limitation on any other immunity provided by law or any absolute or conditional privileges applicable to the disclosure by virtue of the circumstances or the applicant's consent to the disclosure and shall extent to any circumstances when the employer, school, school administrator, or contractor in good faith shares findings of sexual misconduct with another employer.
Unless the laws of another state prevent the release of the information or records requested or disclosure is restricted by the terms of a contract entered into prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly, and notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, an employer, school, school administrator, contractor, or applicant shall report and disclose, in accordance with this Section, all relevant information, records, and documentation that may otherwise be confidential.
(f) A school or contractor may not hire an applicant who does not provide the information required under subsection (c) for a position involving direct contact with children or students.
(g) Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly, a school or contractor may not enter into a collective bargaining agreement, an employment contract, an agreement for resignation or termination, a severance agreement, or any other contract or agreement or take any action that:
(1) has the effect of suppressing information
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| concerning a pending investigation or a completed investigation in which an allegation was substantiated related to a report of suspected sexual misconduct by a current or former employee;
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(2) affects the ability of the school or contractor
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| to report suspected sexual misconduct to the appropriate authorities; or
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(3) requires the school or contractor to expunge
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| information about allegations or findings of suspected sexual misconduct from any documents maintained by the school or contractor, unless, after an investigation, an allegation is found to be false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated.
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(h) Any provision of an employment contract or agreement for resignation or termination or a severance agreement that is executed, amended, or entered into on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly and that is contrary to this Section is void and unenforceable.
(i) For substitute employees, all of the following apply:
(1) The employment history review required by this
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| Section is required only prior to the initial hiring of a substitute employee or placement on a school's approved substitute list and shall remain valid as long as the substitute employee continues to be employed by the same school or remains on the school's approved substitute list.
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(2) A substitute employee seeking to be added to
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| another school's substitute list shall undergo an additional employment history review under this Section. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection (i) or in subsection (k), the appearance of a substitute employee on one school's substitute list does not relieve another school from compliance with this Section.
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(3) An employment history review conducted upon
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| initial hiring of a substitute employee by contractor or any other entity that furnishes substitute staffing services to schools shall satisfy the requirements of this Section for all schools using the services of that contractor or other entity.
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(4) A contractor or any other entity furnishing
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| substitute staffing services to schools shall comply with paragraphs (3) and (4) of subsection (j).
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(j) For employees of contractors, all of the following apply:
(1) The employment history review required by this
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| Section shall be performed, either at the time of the initial hiring of an employee or prior to the assignment of an existing employee to perform work for a school in a position involving direct contact with children or students. The review shall remain valid as long as the employee remains employed by the same contractor, even if assigned to perform work for other schools.
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(2) A contractor shall maintain records documenting
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| employment history reviews for all employees as required by this Section and, upon request, shall provide a school for whom an employee is assigned to perform work access to the records pertaining to that employee.
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(3) Prior to assigning an employee to perform work
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| for a school in a position involving direct contact with children or students, the contractor shall inform the school of any instance known to the contractor in which the employee:
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(A) has been the subject of a sexual misconduct
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| allegation unless a subsequent investigation resulted in a finding that the allegation was false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated;
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(B) has ever been discharged, been asked to
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| resign from, resigned from, or otherwise been separated from any employment, been removed from a substitute list, been disciplined by an employer, or had an employment contract not renewed due to an adjudication or finding of sexual misconduct or while an allegation of sexual misconduct was pending or under investigation, unless the investigation resulted in a finding that the allegation was false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated; or
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(C) has ever had a license or certificate
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| suspended, surrendered, or revoked due to an adjudication or finding of sexual misconduct or while an allegation of sexual misconduct was pending or under investigation, unless the investigation resulted in a finding that the allegation was false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated.
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(4) The contractor may not assign an employee to
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| perform work for a school in a position involving direct contact with children or students if the school objects to the assignment after being informed of an instance listed in paragraph (3).
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(k) An applicant who has undergone an employment history review under this Section and seeks to transfer to or provide services to another school in the same school district, diocese, or religious jurisdiction, or to another school established and supervised by the same organization is not required to obtain additional reports under this Section before transferring.
(l) Nothing in this Section shall be construed:
(1) to prevent a prospective employer from
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| conducting further investigations of prospective employees or from requiring applicants to provide additional background information or authorizations beyond what is required under this Section, nor to prevent a current or former employer from disclosing more information than what is required under this Section;
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(2) to relieve a school, school employee,
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| contractor of the school, or agent of the school from any legal responsibility to report sexual misconduct in accordance with State and federal reporting requirements;
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(3) to relieve a school, school employee,
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| contractor of the school, or agent of the school from any legal responsibility to implement the provisions of Section 7926 of Chapter 20 of the United States Code; or
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(4) to prohibit the right of the exclusive
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| bargaining representative under a collective bargaining agreement to grieve and arbitrate the validity of an employee's termination or discipline for just cause.
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(m) The State Board of Education shall develop the templates required under paragraphs (3) and (4) of subsection (c).
(Source: P.A. 102-702, eff. 7-1-23 .)
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(105 ILCS 5/22-95) (Text of Section from P.A. 103-413) (Section scheduled to be repealed on February 1, 2029) Sec. 22-95. Whole Child Task Force. (a) The General Assembly makes all of the following findings: (1) The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed systemic |
| inequities in American society. Students, educators, and families throughout this State have been deeply affected by the pandemic, and the impact of the pandemic will be felt for years to come. The negative consequences of the pandemic have impacted students and communities differently along the lines of race, income, language, and special needs. However, students in this State faced significant unmet physical health, mental health, and social and emotional needs even prior to the pandemic.
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(2) The path to recovery requires a commitment from
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| adults in this State to address our students cultural, physical, emotional, and mental health needs and to provide them with stronger and increased systemic support and intervention.
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(3) It is well documented that trauma and toxic
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| stress diminish a child's ability to thrive. Forms of childhood trauma and toxic stress include adverse childhood experiences, systemic racism, poverty, food and housing insecurity, and gender-based violence. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues and brought them into focus.
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(4) It is estimated that, overall, approximately 40%
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| of children in this State have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience and approximately 10% have experienced 3 or more adverse childhood experiences. However, the number of adverse childhood experiences is higher for Black and Hispanic children who are growing up in poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the number of students who have experienced childhood trauma. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted preexisting inequities in school disciplinary practices that disproportionately impact Black and Brown students. Research shows, for example, that girls of color are disproportionately impacted by trauma, adversity, and abuse, and instead of receiving the care and trauma-informed support they may need, many Black girls in particular face disproportionately harsh disciplinary measures.
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(5) The cumulative effects of trauma and toxic stress
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| adversely impact the physical health of students, as well as the students' ability to learn, form relationships, and self-regulate. If left unaddressed, these effects increase a student's risk for depression, alcoholism, anxiety, asthma, smoking, and suicide, all of which are risks that disproportionately affect Black youth and may lead to a host of medical diseases as an adult. Access to infant and early childhood mental health services is critical to ensure the social and emotional well-being of this State's youngest children, particularly those children who have experienced trauma.
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(6) Although this State enacted measures through
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| Public Act 100-105 to address the high rate of early care and preschool expulsions of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and the disproportionately higher rate of expulsion for Black and Hispanic children, a recent study found a wide variation in the awareness, understanding, and compliance with the law by providers of early childhood care. Further work is needed to implement the law, which includes providing training to early childhood care providers to increase the providers' understanding of the law, increasing the availability and access to infant and early childhood mental health services, and building aligned data collection systems to better understand expulsion rates and to allow for accurate reporting as required by the law.
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(7) Many educators and schools in this State have
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| embraced and implemented evidence-based restorative justice and trauma-responsive and culturally relevant practices and interventions. However, the use of these interventions on students is often isolated or is implemented occasionally and only if the school has the appropriate leadership, resources, and partners available to engage seriously in this work. It would be malpractice to deny our students access to these practices and interventions, especially in the aftermath of a once-in-a-century pandemic.
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(b) The Whole Child Task Force created by Public Act 101-654 is reestablished for the purpose of establishing an equitable, inclusive, safe, and supportive environment in all schools for every student in this State. The task force shall have all of the following goals, which means key steps have to be taken to ensure that every child in every school in this State has access to teachers, social workers, school leaders, support personnel, and others who have been trained in evidence-based interventions and restorative practices:
(1) To create a common definition of a
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| trauma-responsive school, a trauma-responsive district, and a trauma-responsive community.
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(2) To outline the training and resources required to
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| create and sustain a system of support for trauma-responsive schools, districts, and communities and to identify this State's role in that work, including recommendations concerning options for redirecting resources from school resource officers to classroom-based support.
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(3) To identify or develop a process to conduct an
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| analysis of the organizations that provide training in restorative practices, implicit bias, anti-racism, and trauma-responsive systems, mental health services, and social and emotional services to schools.
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(4) To provide recommendations concerning the key
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| data to be collected and reported to ensure that this State has a full and accurate understanding of the progress toward ensuring that all schools, including programs and providers of care to pre-kindergarten children, employ restorative, anti-racist, and trauma-responsive strategies and practices. The data collected must include information relating to the availability of trauma responsive support structures in schools, as well as disciplinary practices employed on students in person or through other means, including during remote or blended learning. It should also include information on the use of and funding for school resource officers and other similar police personnel in school programs.
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(5) To recommend an implementation timeline,
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| including the key roles, responsibilities, and resources to advance this State toward a system in which every school, district, and community is progressing toward becoming trauma-responsive.
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(6) To seek input and feedback from stakeholders,
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| including parents, students, and educators, who reflect the diversity of this State.
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(7) To recommend legislation, policies, and practices
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| to prevent learning loss in students during periods of suspension and expulsion, including, but not limited to, remote instruction.
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(c) Members of the Whole Child Task Force shall be appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. Members of this task force must represent the diversity of this State and possess the expertise needed to perform the work required to meet the goals of the task force set forth under subsection (a). Members of the task force shall include all of the following:
(1) One member of a statewide professional teachers'
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(2) One member of another statewide professional
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(3) One member who represents a school district
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| serving a community with a population of 500,000 or more.
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(4) One member of a statewide organization
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| representing social workers.
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(5) One member of an organization that has specific
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| expertise in trauma-responsive school practices and experience in supporting schools in developing trauma-responsive and restorative practices.
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(6) One member of another organization that has
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| specific expertise in trauma-responsive school practices and experience in supporting schools in developing trauma-responsive and restorative practices.
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(7) One member of a statewide organization that
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| represents school administrators.
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(8) One member of a statewide policy organization
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| that works to build a healthy public education system that prepares all students for a successful college, career, and civic life.
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(9) One member of a statewide organization that
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| brings teachers together to identify and address issues critical to student success.
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(10) One member of the General Assembly recommended
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| by the President of the Senate.
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(11) One member of the General Assembly recommended
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| by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
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(12) One member of the General Assembly recommended
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| by the Minority Leader of the Senate.
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(13) One member of the General Assembly recommended
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| by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
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(14) One member of a civil rights organization that
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| works actively on issues regarding student support.
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(15) One administrator from a school district that
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| has actively worked to develop a system of student support that uses a trauma-informed lens.
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(16) One educator from a school district that has
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| actively worked to develop a system of student support that uses a trauma-informed lens.
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(17) One member of a youth-led organization.
(18) One member of an organization that has
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| demonstrated expertise in restorative practices.
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(19) One member of a coalition of mental health and
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| school practitioners who assist schools in developing and implementing trauma-informed and restorative strategies and systems.
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(20) One member of an organization whose mission is
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| to promote the safety, health, and economic success of children, youth, and families in this State.
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(21) One member who works or has worked as a
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| restorative justice coach or disciplinarian.
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(22) One member who works or has worked as a social
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(23) One member of the State Board of Education.
(24) One member who represents a statewide
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| principals' organization.
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(25) One member who represents a statewide
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| organization of school boards.
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(26) One member who has expertise in pre-kindergarten
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(27) One member who represents a school social worker
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(28) One member who represents an organization that
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| represents school districts in the south suburbs of the City of Chicago.
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(29) One member who is a licensed clinical
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| psychologist who (i) has a doctor of philosophy in the field of clinical psychology and has an appointment at an independent free-standing children's hospital located in the City of Chicago, (ii) serves as an associate professor at a medical school located in the City of Chicago, and (iii) serves as the clinical director of a coalition of voluntary collaboration of organizations that are committed to applying a trauma lens to the member's efforts on behalf of families and children in the State.
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(30) One member who represents a school district in
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| the west suburbs of the City of Chicago.
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(31) One member from a governmental agency who has
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| expertise in child development and who is responsible for coordinating early childhood mental health programs and services.
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(32) One member who has significant expertise in
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| early childhood mental health and childhood trauma.
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(33) One member who represents an organization that
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| represents school districts in the collar counties around the City of Chicago.
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(34) One member who represents an organization
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| representing regional offices of education.
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(d) The Whole Child Task Force shall meet at the call of the State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee, who shall serve as the chairperson. The State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the task force. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation.
(e) The Whole Child Task Force shall reconvene by March 2027 to review progress on the recommendations in the March 2022 report submitted pursuant to Public Act 101-654 and shall submit a new report on its assessment of the State's progress and any additional recommendations to the General Assembly, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the State Board of Education, and the Governor on or before December 31, 2027.
(f) This Section is repealed on February 1, 2029.
(Source: P.A. 103-413, eff. 1-1-24.)
(Text of Section from P.A. 103-472)
(This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a delayed effective date )
Sec. 22-95. Policy on discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; response procedures.
(a) As used in this Section, "policy" means either the use of a singular policy or multiple policies.
(b) Each school district, charter school, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school must create, implement, and maintain at least one written policy that prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin and prohibits retaliation. The policy may be included as part of a broader anti-harassment or anti-discrimination policy, provided that the policy prohibiting discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin and retaliation shall be distinguished with an appropriate title, heading, or label. This policy must comply with and be distributed in accordance with all of the following:
(1) The policy must be in writing and must include at
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| a minimum, the following information:
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(A) descriptions of various forms of
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| discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin, including examples;
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(B) the school district's, charter school's, or
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| nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school's internal process for filing a complaint regarding a violation of the policy described in this subsection, or a reference to that process if described elsewhere in policy;
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(C) an overview of the school district's, charter
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| school's, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school's prevention and response program pursuant to subsection (c);
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(D) potential remedies for a violation of the
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| policy described in this subsection;
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(E) a prohibition on retaliation for making a
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| complaint or participating in the complaint process;
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(F) the legal recourse available through the
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| Department of Human Rights and through federal agencies if a school district, charter school, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school fails to take corrective action, or a reference to that process if described elsewhere in policy; and
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(G) directions on how to contact the Department
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| of Human Rights or a reference to those directions if described elsewhere in the policy.
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The policy shall make clear that the policy does not
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| impair or otherwise diminish the rights of unionized employees under federal law, State law, or a collective bargaining agreement to request an exclusive bargaining representative to be present during investigator interviews, nor does the policy diminish any rights available under the applicable negotiated collective bargaining agreement, including, but not limited to, the grievance procedure.
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(2) The policy described in this subsection shall be
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| posted in a prominent and accessible location and distributed in such a manner as to ensure notice of the policy to all employees. If the school district, charter school, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school maintains an Internet website or has an employee Intranet, the website or Intranet shall be considered a prominent and accessible location for the purpose of this paragraph (2). Posting and distribution shall be effectuated by the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year and shall occur annually thereafter.
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(3) The policy described in this subsection shall be
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| published on the school district's, charter school's, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school's Internet website, if one exists, and in a student handbook, if one exists. A summary of the policy in accessible, age-appropriate language shall be distributed annually to students and to the parents or guardians of minor students. School districts, charter schools, and nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary schools shall provide a summary of the policy in the parent or guardian's native language. For the annual distribution of the summary, inclusion of the summary in a student handbook is deemed compliant.
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(c) Each school district, charter school, and nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school must establish procedures for responding to complaints of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin and retaliation. These procedures must comply with subsection (b) of this Section. Based on these procedures, school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary schools:
(1) shall reduce or remove, to the extent
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| practicable, barriers to reporting discrimination, harassment, and retaliation;
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(2) shall permit any person who reports or is the
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| victim of an incident of alleged discrimination, harassment, or retaliation to be accompanied when making a report by a support individual of the person's choice who complies with the school district's, charter school's, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school's policies or rules;
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(3) shall permit anonymous reporting, except that
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| this paragraph (3) may not be construed to permit formal disciplinary action solely on the basis of an anonymous report;
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(4) shall offer remedial interventions or take such
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| disciplinary action as may be appropriate on a case-by-case basis;
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(5) may offer, but not require or unduly influence, a
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| person who reports or is the victim of an incident of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation the option to resolve allegations directly with the offender; and
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(6) may not cause a person who reports or is the
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| victim of an incident of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation to suffer adverse consequences as a result of a report of, an investigation of, or a response to the incident; this protection may not permit victims to engage in retaliation against the offender or limit a school district, charter school, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school from applying disciplinary measures in response to other acts or conduct not related to the process of reporting, investigating, or responding to a report of an incident of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.
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(Source: P.A. 103-472, eff. 8-1-24.)
(Text of Section from P.A. 103-481)
Sec. 22-95. Retirement and deferred compensation plans.
(a) This Section applies only to school districts, other than a school district organized under Article 34, with a full-time licensed teacher population of 575 or more teachers that maintain a 457 plan. Every applicable school district shall make available to participants more than one financial institution or investment provider to provide services to the school district's 457 plan.
(b) A financial institution or investment provider, by entering into a written agreement, may offer or provide services to a plan offered, established, or maintained by a school district under Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 if the written agreement is not combined with any other written agreement for the administration of the school district's 457 plan.
Each school district that offers a 457 plan shall make available to participants, in the manner provided in subsection (d), more than one financial institution or investment provider that has not entered into a written agreement to provide administration services and that provides services to a 457 plan offered to school districts.
(c) A financial institution or investment provider providing services for any plan offered, established, or maintained by a school district under Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall:
(1) enter into an agreement with the school district
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| or the school district's independent compliance administrator that requires the financial institution or investment provider to provide, in an electronic format, all data necessary for the administration of the 457 plan, as determined by the school district or the school district's compliance administrator;
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(2) provide all data required by the school district
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| or the school district's compliance administrator to facilitate disclosure of all fees, charges, expenses, commissions, compensation, and payments to third parties related to investments offered under the 457 plan; and
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(3) cover all plan administration costs agreed to by
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| the school district relating to the administration of the 457 plan.
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(d) A school district that offers, establishes, or maintains a plan under Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, except for a plan established under Section 16-204 of the Illinois Pension Code, shall select more than one financial institution or investment provider, in addition to the financial institution or investment provider that has entered into a written agreement under subsection (b), to provide services to the 457 plan. A financial institution or investment provider shall be designated a 457 plan provider if the financial institution or investment provider enters into an agreement in accordance with subsection (c).
(e) A school district shall have one year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly to find a 457 plan provider under this Section.
(f) Nothing in this Section shall apply to or impact the optional defined contribution benefit established by the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois under Section 16-204 of the Illinois Pension Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Teachers' Retirement System may elect to share plan data for the 457 plan established pursuant to Section 16-204 of the Illinois Pension Code with the school district, upon request by the school district, in order to facilitate school districts' compliance with this Section and Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. If a school district requests that the Teachers' Retirement System share plan information for the 457 plan established pursuant to Section 16-204 of the Illinois Pension Code, the Teachers' Retirement System may assess a fee on the applicable school district.
(Source: P.A. 103-481, eff. 1-1-24.)
(Text of Section from P.A. 103-497)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on December 31, 2031)
Sec. 22-95. Rural Education Advisory Council.
(a) The Rural Education Advisory Council is created as a statewide advisory council to exchange thoughtful dialogue concerning the needs, challenges, and opportunities of rural schools districts and to provide policy recommendations to the State. The Council shall perform all of the following functions:
(1) Convey and impart the perspective of rural
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| communities and provide context during policy discussions on various statewide issues with the State Superintendent of Education.
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(2) Present to the State Superintendent of Education
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| the opportunity to speak directly with representatives of rural communities on various policy and legal issues, to present feedback on critical issues facing rural communities, to generate ideas, and to communicate information to the State Superintendent.
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(3) Provide feedback about this State's
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| pre-kindergarten through grade 12 practices and policies so that the application of policies in rural areas may be more fully understood.
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(b) The Council shall consist of all of the following members:
(1) The State Superintendent of Education or his or
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(2) One representative of an association representing
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| rural and small schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
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(3) Five superintendents of rural school districts
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| who represent 3 super-regions of this State and who are recommended by an association representing rural and small schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
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(4) One principal from a rural school district
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| recommended by a statewide organization representing school principals, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
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(5) One representative from a rural school district
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| recommended by a statewide organization representing school boards, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
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(6) One representative of a statewide organization
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| representing district superintendents, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
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(7) One representative of a statewide organization
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| representing regional superintendents of schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
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(8) One student who is at least 15 years old, who is
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| a member of the State Board of Education's Student Advisory Council, and who is from a rural school district, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
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Council members must reflect, as much as possible, the racial and ethnic diversity of this State.
Council members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from funds appropriated to the State Board of Education for that purpose, subject to the rules of the appropriate travel control board.
(c) The Council shall meet initially at the call of the State Superintendent of Education, shall select one member as chairperson at its initial meeting, and shall thereafter meet at the call of the chairperson.
(d) The State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the Council as needed.
(e) The Council is dissolved and this Section is repealed on December 31, 2031.
(Source: P.A. 103-497, eff. 1-1-24 .)
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(105 ILCS 5/24-12) (from Ch. 122, par. 24-12)
(Text of Section from P.A. 103-354)
Sec. 24-12. Removal or dismissal of teachers in contractual
continued service. (a) This subsection (a) applies only to honorable dismissals and recalls in which the notice of dismissal is provided on or before the end of the 2010-2011 school term. If a teacher in contractual continued service is
removed or dismissed as a result of a decision of the board to decrease
the number of teachers employed by the board or to discontinue some
particular type of teaching service, written notice shall be mailed to the
teacher and also given the
teacher either by certified mail, return receipt requested or
personal delivery with receipt at least 60
days before
the end of the school term, together with a statement of honorable
dismissal and the reason therefor, and in all such cases the board shall
first remove or dismiss all teachers who have not entered upon contractual
continued service before removing or dismissing any teacher who has entered
upon contractual continued service and who is legally qualified to hold a
position currently held by a teacher who has not entered upon contractual
continued service. As between teachers who have entered upon contractual
continued service, the teacher or teachers with the shorter length of
continuing service with the district shall be dismissed first
unless an alternative method of determining the sequence of dismissal is
established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the
board and a professional faculty members' organization and except that
this provision shall not impair the operation of any affirmative action
program in the district, regardless of whether it exists by operation of
law or is conducted on a voluntary basis by the board. Any teacher
dismissed as a result of such decrease or discontinuance shall be paid
all earned compensation on or before the third business day following
the last day of pupil attendance in the regular school term. If the
board has any vacancies for the following school term or within one
calendar year from the beginning of the following school term, the
positions thereby becoming available shall be tendered to the teachers
so removed or dismissed so far as they are legally qualified to hold
such positions; provided, however, that if the number of honorable
dismissal notices based on economic necessity exceeds 15% of the number of full-time
equivalent positions filled by certified employees (excluding
principals and administrative personnel) during the preceding school year,
then if the board has any vacancies for the following school term or within
2 calendar years from the beginning of the following
school term, the positions so becoming available shall be tendered to the
teachers who were so notified and removed or dismissed whenever they are
legally qualified to hold such positions. Each board shall, in consultation
with any exclusive employee representatives, each year establish a list,
categorized by positions, showing the length of continuing service of each
teacher who is qualified to hold any such positions, unless an alternative
method of determining a sequence of dismissal is established as provided
for in this Section, in which case a list shall be made in accordance with
the alternative method. Copies of the list shall be distributed to the
exclusive employee representative on or before February 1 of each year.
Whenever the number of honorable dismissal notices based upon economic
necessity exceeds 5, or 150% of the average number of teachers honorably
dismissed in the preceding 3 years, whichever is more, then the board also
shall hold a public hearing on the question of the dismissals. Following
the hearing and board review, the action to approve any such reduction shall
require a majority vote of the board members.
(b) This subsection (b) applies only to honorable dismissals and recalls in which the notice of dismissal is provided during the 2011-2012 school term or a subsequent school term. If any teacher, whether or not in contractual continued service, is removed or dismissed as a result of a decision of a school board to decrease the number of teachers employed by the board, a decision of a school board to discontinue some particular type of teaching service, or a reduction in the number of programs or positions in a special education joint agreement, then written notice must be mailed to the teacher and also given to the teacher either by electronic mail, certified mail, return receipt requested, or personal delivery with receipt at least 45 days before the end of the school term, together with a statement of honorable dismissal and the reason therefor, and in all such cases the sequence of dismissal shall occur in accordance with this subsection (b); except that this subsection (b) shall not impair the operation of any affirmative action program in the school district, regardless of whether it exists by operation of law or is conducted on a voluntary basis by the board. Each teacher must be categorized into one or more positions for which the teacher is qualified to hold, based upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications established in a district or joint agreement job description, on or before the May 10 prior to the school year during which the sequence of dismissal is determined. Within each position and subject to agreements made by the joint committee on honorable dismissals that are authorized by subsection (c) of this Section, the school district or joint agreement must establish 4 groupings of teachers qualified to hold the position as follows: (1) Grouping one shall consist of each teacher who is |
| not in contractual continued service and who (i) has not received a performance evaluation rating, (ii) is employed for one school term or less to replace a teacher on leave, or (iii) is employed on a part-time basis. "Part-time basis" for the purposes of this subsection (b) means a teacher who is employed to teach less than a full-day, teacher workload or less than 5 days of the normal student attendance week, unless otherwise provided for in a collective bargaining agreement between the district and the exclusive representative of the district's teachers. For the purposes of this Section, a teacher (A) who is employed as a full-time teacher but who actually teaches or is otherwise present and participating in the district's educational program for less than a school term or (B) who, in the immediately previous school term, was employed on a full-time basis and actually taught or was otherwise present and participated in the district's educational program for 120 days or more is not considered employed on a part-time basis.
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(2) Grouping 2 shall consist of each teacher with a
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| Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory performance evaluation rating on either of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings.
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(3) Grouping 3 shall consist of each teacher with a
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| performance evaluation rating of at least Satisfactory or Proficient on both of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, if 2 ratings are available, or on the teacher's last performance evaluation rating, if only one rating is available, unless the teacher qualifies for placement into grouping 4.
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(4) Grouping 4 shall consist of each teacher whose
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| last 2 performance evaluation ratings are Excellent and each teacher with 2 Excellent performance evaluation ratings out of the teacher's last 3 performance evaluation ratings with a third rating of Satisfactory or Proficient.
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Among teachers qualified to hold a position, teachers must be dismissed in the order of their groupings, with teachers in grouping one dismissed first and teachers in grouping 4 dismissed last.
Within grouping one, the sequence of dismissal must be at the discretion of the school district or joint agreement. Within grouping 2, the sequence of dismissal must be based upon average performance evaluation ratings, with the teacher or teachers with the lowest average performance evaluation rating dismissed first. A teacher's average performance evaluation rating must be calculated using the average of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, if 2 ratings are available, or the teacher's last performance evaluation rating, if only one rating is available, using the following numerical values: 4 for Excellent; 3 for Proficient or Satisfactory; 2 for Needs Improvement; and 1 for Unsatisfactory. As between or among teachers in grouping 2 with the same average performance evaluation rating and within each of groupings 3 and 4, the teacher or teachers with the shorter length of continuing service with the school district or joint agreement must be dismissed first unless an alternative method of determining the sequence of dismissal is established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the board and a professional faculty members' organization.
Each board, including the governing board of a joint agreement, shall, in consultation with any exclusive employee representatives, each year establish a sequence of honorable dismissal list categorized by positions and the groupings defined in this subsection (b). Copies of the list showing each teacher by name and categorized by positions and the groupings defined in this subsection (b) must be distributed to the exclusive bargaining representative at least 75 days before the end of the school term, provided that the school district or joint agreement may, with notice to any exclusive employee representatives, move teachers from grouping one into another grouping during the period of time from 75 days until 45 days before the end of the school term. Each year, each board shall also establish, in consultation with any exclusive employee representatives, a list showing the length of continuing service of each teacher who is qualified to hold any such positions, unless an alternative method of determining a sequence of dismissal is established as provided for in this Section, in which case a list must be made in accordance with the alternative method. Copies of the list must be distributed to the exclusive employee representative at least 75 days before the end of the school term.
Any teacher dismissed as a result of such decrease or discontinuance must be paid all earned compensation on or before the third business day following the last day of pupil attendance in the regular school term.
If the board or joint agreement has any vacancies for the following school term or within one calendar year from the beginning of the following school term, the positions thereby becoming available must be tendered to the teachers so removed or dismissed who were in grouping 3 or 4 of the sequence of dismissal and are qualified to hold the positions, based upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications established in a district or joint agreement job description, on or before the May 10 prior to the date of the positions becoming available, provided that if the number of honorable dismissal notices based on economic necessity exceeds 15% of the number of full-time equivalent positions filled by certified employees (excluding principals and administrative personnel) during the preceding school year, then the recall period is for the following school term or within 2 calendar years from the beginning of the following school term. If the board or joint agreement has any vacancies within the period from the beginning of the following school term through February 1 of the following school term (unless a date later than February 1, but no later than 6 months from the beginning of the following school term, is established in a collective bargaining agreement), the positions thereby becoming available must be tendered to the teachers so removed or dismissed who were in grouping 2 of the sequence of dismissal due to one "needs improvement" rating on either of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, provided that, if 2 ratings are available, the other performance evaluation rating used for grouping purposes is "satisfactory", "proficient", or "excellent", and are qualified to hold the positions, based upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications established in a district or joint agreement job description, on or before the May 10 prior to the date of the positions becoming available. On and after July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-648), the preceding sentence shall apply to teachers removed or dismissed by honorable dismissal, even if notice of honorable dismissal occurred during the 2013-2014 school year. Among teachers eligible for recall pursuant to the preceding sentence, the order of recall must be in inverse order of dismissal, unless an alternative order of recall is established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the board and a professional faculty members' organization. Whenever the number of honorable dismissal notices based upon economic necessity exceeds 5 notices or 150% of the average number of teachers honorably dismissed in the preceding 3 years, whichever is more, then the school board or governing board of a joint agreement, as applicable, shall also hold a public hearing on the question of the dismissals. Following the hearing and board review, the action to approve any such reduction shall require a majority vote of the board members.
For purposes of this subsection (b), subject to agreement on an alternative definition reached by the joint committee described in subsection (c) of this Section, a teacher's performance evaluation rating means the overall performance evaluation rating resulting from an annual or biennial performance evaluation conducted pursuant to Article 24A of this Code by the school district or joint agreement determining the sequence of dismissal, not including any performance evaluation conducted during or at the end of a remediation period. No more than one evaluation rating each school term shall be one of the evaluation ratings used for the purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection for any performance evaluations conducted during or at the end of a remediation period, if multiple performance evaluations are conducted in a school term, only the rating from the last evaluation conducted prior to establishing the sequence of honorable dismissal list in such school term shall be the one evaluation rating from that school term used for the purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. Averaging ratings from multiple evaluations is not permitted unless otherwise agreed to in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the board and a professional faculty members' organization. The preceding 3 sentences are not a legislative declaration that existing law does or does not already require that only one performance evaluation each school term shall be used for the purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. For performance evaluation ratings determined prior to September 1, 2012, any school district or joint agreement with a performance evaluation rating system that does not use either of the rating category systems specified in subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code for all teachers must establish a basis for assigning each teacher a rating that complies with subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code for all of the performance evaluation ratings that are to be used to determine the sequence of dismissal. A teacher's grouping and ranking on a sequence of honorable dismissal shall be deemed a part of the teacher's performance evaluation, and that information shall be disclosed to the exclusive bargaining representative as part of a sequence of honorable dismissal list, notwithstanding any laws prohibiting disclosure of such information. A performance evaluation rating may be used to determine the sequence of dismissal, notwithstanding the pendency of any grievance resolution or arbitration procedures relating to the performance evaluation. If a teacher has received at least one performance evaluation rating conducted by the school district or joint agreement determining the sequence of dismissal and a subsequent performance evaluation is not conducted in any school year in which such evaluation is required to be conducted under Section 24A-5 of this Code, the teacher's performance evaluation rating for that school year for purposes of determining the sequence of dismissal is deemed Proficient, except that, during any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, this default to Proficient does not apply to any teacher who has entered into contractual continued service and who was deemed Excellent on his or her most recent evaluation. During any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act and unless the school board and any exclusive bargaining representative have completed the performance rating for teachers or have mutually agreed to an alternate performance rating, any teacher who has entered into contractual continued service, whose most recent evaluation was deemed Excellent, and whose performance evaluation is not conducted when the evaluation is required to be conducted shall receive a teacher's performance rating deemed Excellent. A school board and any exclusive bargaining representative may mutually agree to an alternate performance rating for teachers not in contractual continued service during any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, as long as the agreement is in writing. If a performance evaluation rating is nullified as the result of an arbitration, administrative agency, or court determination, then the school district or joint agreement is deemed to have conducted a performance evaluation for that school year, but the performance evaluation rating may not be used in determining the sequence of dismissal.
Nothing in this subsection (b) shall be construed as limiting the right of a school board or governing board of a joint agreement to dismiss a teacher not in contractual continued service in accordance with Section 24-11 of this Code.
Any provisions regarding the sequence of honorable dismissals and recall of honorably dismissed teachers in a collective bargaining agreement entered into on or before January 1, 2011 and in effect on June 13, 2011 (the effective date of Public Act 97-8) that may conflict with Public Act 97-8 shall remain in effect through the expiration of such agreement or June 30, 2013, whichever is earlier.
(c) Each school district and special education joint agreement must use a joint committee composed of equal representation selected by the school board and its teachers or, if applicable, the exclusive bargaining representative of its teachers, to address the matters described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of this subsection (c) pertaining to honorable dismissals under subsection (b) of this Section.
(1) The joint committee must consider and may agree
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| to criteria for excluding from grouping 2 and placing into grouping 3 a teacher whose last 2 performance evaluations include a Needs Improvement and either a Proficient or Excellent.
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(2) The joint committee must consider and may agree
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| to an alternative definition for grouping 4, which definition must take into account prior performance evaluation ratings and may take into account other factors that relate to the school district's or program's educational objectives. An alternative definition for grouping 4 may not permit the inclusion of a teacher in the grouping with a Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory performance evaluation rating on either of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings.
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(3) The joint committee may agree to including within
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| the definition of a performance evaluation rating a performance evaluation rating administered by a school district or joint agreement other than the school district or joint agreement determining the sequence of dismissal.
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(4) For each school district or joint agreement that
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| administers performance evaluation ratings that are inconsistent with either of the rating category systems specified in subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code, the school district or joint agreement must consult with the joint committee on the basis for assigning a rating that complies with subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code to each performance evaluation rating that will be used in a sequence of dismissal.
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(5) Upon request by a joint committee member
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| submitted to the employing board by no later than 10 days after the distribution of the sequence of honorable dismissal list, a representative of the employing board shall, within 5 days after the request, provide to members of the joint committee a list showing the most recent and prior performance evaluation ratings of each teacher identified only by length of continuing service in the district or joint agreement and not by name. If, after review of this list, a member of the joint committee has a good faith belief that a disproportionate number of teachers with greater length of continuing service with the district or joint agreement have received a recent performance evaluation rating lower than the prior rating, the member may request that the joint committee review the list to assess whether such a trend may exist. Following the joint committee's review, but by no later than the end of the applicable school term, the joint committee or any member or members of the joint committee may submit a report of the review to the employing board and exclusive bargaining representative, if any. Nothing in this paragraph (5) shall impact the order of honorable dismissal or a school district's or joint agreement's authority to carry out a dismissal in accordance with subsection (b) of this Section.
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Agreement by the joint committee as to a matter requires the majority vote of all committee members, and if the joint committee does not reach agreement on a matter, then the otherwise applicable requirements of subsection (b) of this Section shall apply. Except as explicitly set forth in this subsection (c), a joint committee has no authority to agree to any further modifications to the requirements for honorable dismissals set forth in subsection (b) of this Section.
The joint committee must be established, and the first meeting of the joint committee each school year must occur on or before December 1.
The joint committee must reach agreement on a matter on or before February 1 of a school year in order for the agreement of the joint committee to apply to the sequence of dismissal determined during that school year. Subject to the February 1 deadline for agreements, the agreement of a joint committee on a matter shall apply to the sequence of dismissal until the agreement is amended or terminated by the joint committee.
The provisions of the Open Meetings Act shall not apply to meetings of a joint committee created under this subsection (c).
(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this subsection (d), the requirements and dismissal procedures of Section 24-16.5 of this Code shall apply to any dismissal sought under Section 24-16.5 of this Code.
(1) If a dismissal of a teacher in contractual
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| continued service is sought for any reason or cause other than an honorable dismissal under subsections (a) or (b) of this Section or a dismissal sought under Section 24-16.5 of this Code, including those under Section 10-22.4, the board must first approve a motion containing specific charges by a majority vote of all its members. Written notice of such charges, including a bill of particulars and the teacher's right to request a hearing, must be mailed to the teacher and also given to the teacher either by electronic mail, certified mail, return receipt requested, or personal delivery with receipt within 5 days of the adoption of the motion. Any written notice sent on or after July 1, 2012 shall inform the teacher of the right to request a hearing before a mutually selected hearing officer, with the cost of the hearing officer split equally between the teacher and the board, or a hearing before a board-selected hearing officer, with the cost of the hearing officer paid by the board.
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Before setting a hearing on charges stemming from
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| causes that are considered remediable, a board must give the teacher reasonable warning in writing, stating specifically the causes that, if not removed, may result in charges; however, no such written warning is required if the causes have been the subject of a remediation plan pursuant to Article 24A of this Code.
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If, in the opinion of the board, the interests of the
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| school require it, the board may suspend the teacher without pay, pending the hearing, but if the board's dismissal or removal is not sustained, the teacher shall not suffer the loss of any salary or benefits by reason of the suspension.
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(2) No hearing upon the charges is required unless
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| the teacher within 17 days after receiving notice requests in writing of the board that a hearing be scheduled before a mutually selected hearing officer or a hearing officer selected by the board. The secretary of the school board shall forward a copy of the notice to the State Board of Education.
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(3) Within 5 business days after receiving a notice
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| of hearing in which either notice to the teacher was sent before July 1, 2012 or, if the notice was sent on or after July 1, 2012, the teacher has requested a hearing before a mutually selected hearing officer, the State Board of Education shall provide a list of 5 prospective, impartial hearing officers from the master list of qualified, impartial hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education. Each person on the master list must (i) be accredited by a national arbitration organization and have had a minimum of 5 years of experience directly related to labor and employment relations matters between employers and employees or their exclusive bargaining representatives and (ii) beginning September 1, 2012, have participated in training provided or approved by the State Board of Education for teacher dismissal hearing officers so that he or she is familiar with issues generally involved in evaluative and non-evaluative dismissals.
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If notice to the teacher was sent before July 1, 2012
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| or, if the notice was sent on or after July 1, 2012, the teacher has requested a hearing before a mutually selected hearing officer, the board and the teacher or their legal representatives within 3 business days shall alternately strike one name from the list provided by the State Board of Education until only one name remains. Unless waived by the teacher, the teacher shall have the right to proceed first with the striking. Within 3 business days of receipt of the list provided by the State Board of Education, the board and the teacher or their legal representatives shall each have the right to reject all prospective hearing officers named on the list and notify the State Board of Education of such rejection. Within 3 business days after receiving this notification, the State Board of Education shall appoint a qualified person from the master list who did not appear on the list sent to the parties to serve as the hearing officer, unless the parties notify it that they have chosen to alternatively select a hearing officer under paragraph (4) of this subsection (d).
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If the teacher has requested a hearing before a
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| hearing officer selected by the board, the board shall select one name from the master list of qualified impartial hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education within 3 business days after receipt and shall notify the State Board of Education of its selection.
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A hearing officer mutually selected by the parties,
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| selected by the board, or selected through an alternative selection process under paragraph (4) of this subsection (d) (A) must not be a resident of the school district, (B) must be available to commence the hearing within 75 days and conclude the hearing within 120 days after being selected as the hearing officer, and (C) must issue a decision as to whether the teacher must be dismissed and give a copy of that decision to both the teacher and the board within 30 days from the conclusion of the hearing or closure of the record, whichever is later.
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Any hearing convened during a public health emergency
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| pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act may be convened remotely. Any hearing officer for a hearing convened during a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act may voluntarily withdraw from the hearing and another hearing officer shall be selected or appointed pursuant to this Section.
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In this paragraph, "pre-hearing procedures" refers to
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| the pre-hearing procedures under Section 51.55 of Title 23 of the Illinois Administrative Code and "hearing" refers to the hearing under Section 51.60 of Title 23 of the Illinois Administrative Code. Any teacher who has been charged with engaging in acts of corporal punishment, physical abuse, grooming, or sexual misconduct and who previously paused pre-hearing procedures or a hearing pursuant to Public Act 101-643 must proceed with selection of a hearing officer or hearing date, or both, within the timeframes established by this paragraph (3) and paragraphs (4) through (6) of this subsection (d), unless the timeframes are mutually waived in writing by both parties, and all timelines set forth in this Section in cases concerning corporal punishment, physical abuse, grooming, or sexual misconduct shall be reset to begin the day after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly. Any teacher charged with engaging in acts of corporal punishment, physical abuse, grooming, or sexual misconduct on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly may not pause pre-hearing procedures or a hearing.
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(4) In the alternative to selecting a hearing
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| officer from the list received from the State Board of Education or accepting the appointment of a hearing officer by the State Board of Education or if the State Board of Education cannot provide a list or appoint a hearing officer that meets the foregoing requirements, the board and the teacher or their legal representatives may mutually agree to select an impartial hearing officer who is not on the master list either by direct appointment by the parties or by using procedures for the appointment of an arbitrator established by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or the American Arbitration Association. The parties shall notify the State Board of Education of their intent to select a hearing officer using an alternative procedure within 3 business days of receipt of a list of prospective hearing officers provided by the State Board of Education, notice of appointment of a hearing officer by the State Board of Education, or receipt of notice from the State Board of Education that it cannot provide a list that meets the foregoing requirements, whichever is later.
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(5) If the notice of dismissal was sent to the
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| teacher before July 1, 2012, the fees and costs for the hearing officer must be paid by the State Board of Education. If the notice of dismissal was sent to the teacher on or after July 1, 2012, the hearing officer's fees and costs must be paid as follows in this paragraph (5). The fees and permissible costs for the hearing officer must be determined by the State Board of Education. If the board and the teacher or their legal representatives mutually agree to select an impartial hearing officer who is not on a list received from the State Board of Education, they may agree to supplement the fees determined by the State Board to the hearing officer, at a rate consistent with the hearing officer's published professional fees. If the hearing officer is mutually selected by the parties, then the board and the teacher or their legal representatives shall each pay 50% of the fees and costs and any supplemental allowance to which they agree. If the hearing officer is selected by the board, then the board shall pay 100% of the hearing officer's fees and costs. The fees and costs must be paid to the hearing officer within 14 days after the board and the teacher or their legal representatives receive the hearing officer's decision set forth in paragraph (7) of this subsection (d).
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(6) The teacher is required to answer the bill of
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| particulars and aver affirmative matters in his or her defense, and the time for initially doing so and the time for updating such answer and defenses after pre-hearing discovery must be set by the hearing officer. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules so that each party has a fair opportunity to present its case and to ensure that the dismissal process proceeds in a fair and expeditious manner. These rules shall address, without limitation, discovery and hearing scheduling conferences; the teacher's initial answer and affirmative defenses to the bill of particulars and the updating of that information after pre-hearing discovery; provision for written interrogatories and requests for production of documents; the requirement that each party initially disclose to the other party and then update the disclosure no later than 10 calendar days prior to the commencement of the hearing, the names and addresses of persons who may be called as witnesses at the hearing, a summary of the facts or opinions each witness will testify to, and all other documents and materials, including information maintained electronically, relevant to its own as well as the other party's case (the hearing officer may exclude witnesses and exhibits not identified and shared, except those offered in rebuttal for which the party could not reasonably have anticipated prior to the hearing); pre-hearing discovery and preparation, including provision for written interrogatories and requests for production of documents, provided that discovery depositions are prohibited; the conduct of the hearing; the right of each party to be represented by counsel, the offer of evidence and witnesses and the cross-examination of witnesses; the authority of the hearing officer to issue subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum, provided that the hearing officer may limit the number of witnesses to be subpoenaed on behalf of each party to no more than 7; the length of post-hearing briefs; and the form, length, and content of hearing officers' decisions. The hearing officer shall hold a hearing and render a final decision for dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or shall report to the school board findings of fact and a recommendation as to whether or not the teacher must be dismissed for conduct. The hearing officer shall commence the hearing within 75 days and conclude the hearing within 120 days after being selected as the hearing officer, provided that the hearing officer may modify these timelines upon the showing of good cause or mutual agreement of the parties. Good cause for the purpose of this subsection (d) shall mean the illness or otherwise unavoidable emergency of the teacher, district representative, their legal representatives, the hearing officer, or an essential witness as indicated in each party's pre-hearing submission. In a dismissal hearing pursuant to Article 24A of this Code in which a witness is a student or is under the age of 18, the hearing officer must make accommodations for the witness, as provided under paragraph (6.5) of this subsection. The hearing officer shall consider and give weight to all of the teacher's evaluations written pursuant to Article 24A that are relevant to the issues in the hearing.
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Each party shall have no more than 3 days to present
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| its case, unless extended by the hearing officer to enable a party to present adequate evidence and testimony, including due to the other party's cross-examination of the party's witnesses, for good cause or by mutual agreement of the parties. The State Board of Education shall define in rules the meaning of "day" for such purposes. All testimony at the hearing shall be taken under oath administered by the hearing officer. The hearing officer shall cause a record of the proceedings to be kept and shall employ a competent reporter to take stenographic or stenotype notes of all the testimony. The costs of the reporter's attendance and services at the hearing shall be paid by the party or parties who are responsible for paying the fees and costs of the hearing officer. Either party desiring a transcript of the hearing shall pay for the cost thereof. Any post-hearing briefs must be submitted by the parties by no later than 21 days after a party's receipt of the transcript of the hearing, unless extended by the hearing officer for good cause or by mutual agreement of the parties.
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(6.5) In the case of charges involving any witness
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| who is or was at the time of the alleged conduct a student or a person under the age of 18, the hearing officer shall make accommodations to protect a witness from being intimidated, traumatized, or re-traumatized. No alleged victim or other witness who is or was at the time of the alleged conduct a student or under the age of 18 may be compelled to testify in the physical or visual presence of a teacher or other witness. If such a witness invokes this right, then the hearing officer must provide an accommodation consistent with the invoked right and use a procedure by which each party may hear such witness' testimony. Accommodations may include, but are not limited to: (i) testimony made via a telecommunication device in a location other than the hearing room and outside the physical or visual presence of the teacher and other hearing participants, but accessible to the teacher via a telecommunication device, (ii) testimony made in the hearing room but outside the physical presence of the teacher and accessible to the teacher via a telecommunication device, (iii) non-public testimony, (iv) testimony made via videoconference with the cameras and microphones of the teacher turned off, or (v) pre-recorded testimony, including, but not limited to, a recording of a forensic interview conducted at an accredited Children's Advocacy Center. With all accommodations, the hearing officer shall give such testimony the same consideration as if the witness testified without the accommodation. The teacher may not directly, or through a representative, question a witness called by the school board who is or was a student or under 18 years of age at the time of the alleged conduct. The hearing officer must permit the teacher to submit all relevant questions and follow-up questions for such a witness to have the questions posed by the hearing officer. All questions must exclude evidence of the witness' sexual behavior or predisposition, unless the evidence is offered to prove that someone other than the teacher subject to the dismissal hearing engaged in the charge at issue.
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(7) The hearing officer shall, within 30 days from
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| the conclusion of the hearing or closure of the record, whichever is later, make a decision as to whether or not the teacher shall be dismissed pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or report to the school board findings of fact and a recommendation as to whether or not the teacher shall be dismissed for cause and shall give a copy of the decision or findings of fact and recommendation to both the teacher and the school board. If a hearing officer fails without good cause, specifically provided in writing to both parties and the State Board of Education, to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation within 30 days after the hearing is concluded or the record is closed, whichever is later, the parties may mutually agree to select a hearing officer pursuant to the alternative procedure, as provided in this Section, to rehear the charges heard by the hearing officer who failed to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation or to review the record and render a decision. If any hearing officer fails without good cause, specifically provided in writing to both parties and the State Board of Education, to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation within 30 days after the hearing is concluded or the record is closed, whichever is later or if any hearing officer fails to make an accommodation as described in paragraph (6.5), the hearing officer shall be removed from the master list of hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education for not more than 24 months. The parties and the State Board of Education may also take such other actions as it deems appropriate, including recovering, reducing, or withholding any fees paid or to be paid to the hearing officer. If any hearing officer repeats such failure, he or she must be permanently removed from the master list maintained by the State Board of Education and may not be selected by parties through the alternative selection process under this paragraph (7) or paragraph (4) of this subsection (d). The board shall not lose jurisdiction to discharge a teacher if the hearing officer fails to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation within the time specified in this Section. If the decision of the hearing officer for dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or of the school board for dismissal for cause is in favor of the teacher, then the hearing officer or school board shall order reinstatement to the same or substantially equivalent position and shall determine the amount for which the school board is liable, including, but not limited to, loss of income and benefits.
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(8) The school board, within 45 days after receipt
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| of the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation as to whether (i) the conduct at issue occurred, (ii) the conduct that did occur was remediable, and (iii) the proposed dismissal should be sustained, shall issue a written order as to whether the teacher must be retained or dismissed for cause from its employ. The school board's written order shall incorporate the hearing officer's findings of fact, except that the school board may modify or supplement the findings of fact if, in its opinion, the findings of fact are against the manifest weight of the evidence.
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If the school board dismisses the teacher
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| notwithstanding the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation, the school board shall make a conclusion in its written order, giving its reasons therefor, and such conclusion and reasons must be included in its written order. The failure of the school board to strictly adhere to the timelines contained in this Section shall not render it without jurisdiction to dismiss the teacher. The school board shall not lose jurisdiction to discharge the teacher for cause if the hearing officer fails to render a recommendation within the time specified in this Section. The decision of the school board is final, unless reviewed as provided in paragraph (9) of this subsection (d).
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If the school board retains the teacher, the school
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| board shall enter a written order stating the amount of back pay and lost benefits, less mitigation, to be paid to the teacher, within 45 days after its retention order. Should the teacher object to the amount of the back pay and lost benefits or amount mitigated, the teacher shall give written objections to the amount within 21 days. If the parties fail to reach resolution within 7 days, the dispute shall be referred to the hearing officer, who shall consider the school board's written order and teacher's written objection and determine the amount to which the school board is liable. The costs of the hearing officer's review and determination must be paid by the board.
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(9) The decision of the hearing officer pursuant to
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| Article 24A of this Code or of the school board's decision to dismiss for cause is final unless reviewed as provided in Section 24-16 of this Code. If the school board's decision to dismiss for cause is contrary to the hearing officer's recommendation, the court on review shall give consideration to the school board's decision and its supplemental findings of fact, if applicable, and the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation in making its decision. In the event such review is instituted, the school board shall be responsible for preparing and filing the record of proceedings, and such costs associated therewith must be divided equally between the parties.
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(10) If a decision of the hearing officer for
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| dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or of the school board for dismissal for cause is adjudicated upon review or appeal in favor of the teacher, then the trial court shall order reinstatement and shall remand the matter to the school board with direction for entry of an order setting the amount of back pay, lost benefits, and costs, less mitigation. The teacher may challenge the school board's order setting the amount of back pay, lost benefits, and costs, less mitigation, through an expedited arbitration procedure, with the costs of the arbitrator borne by the school board.
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Any teacher who is reinstated by any hearing or
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| adjudication brought under this Section shall be assigned by the board to a position substantially similar to the one which that teacher held prior to that teacher's suspension or dismissal.
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(11) Subject to any later effective date referenced
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| in this Section for a specific aspect of the dismissal process, the changes made by Public Act 97-8 shall apply to dismissals instituted on or after September 1, 2011. Any dismissal instituted prior to September 1, 2011 must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of this Section prior to amendment by Public Act 97-8.
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(e) Nothing contained in Public Act 98-648 repeals, supersedes, invalidates, or nullifies final decisions in lawsuits pending on July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-648) in Illinois courts involving the interpretation of Public Act 97-8.
(Source: P.A. 102-708, eff. 4-22-22; 103-354, eff. 1-1-24.)
(Text of Section from P.A. 103-398)
Sec. 24-12. Removal or dismissal of teachers in contractual
continued service.
(a) This subsection (a) applies only to honorable dismissals and recalls in which the notice of dismissal is provided on or before the end of the 2010-2011 school term. If a teacher in contractual continued service is
removed or dismissed as a result of a decision of the board to decrease
the number of teachers employed by the board or to discontinue some
particular type of teaching service, written notice shall be mailed to the
teacher and also given the
teacher either by certified mail, return receipt requested or
personal delivery with receipt at least 60
days before
the end of the school term, together with a statement of honorable
dismissal and the reason therefor, and in all such cases the board shall
first remove or dismiss all teachers who have not entered upon contractual
continued service before removing or dismissing any teacher who has entered
upon contractual continued service and who is legally qualified to hold a
position currently held by a teacher who has not entered upon contractual
continued service.
As between teachers who have entered upon contractual
continued service, the teacher or teachers with the shorter length of
continuing service with the district shall be dismissed first
unless an alternative method of determining the sequence of dismissal is
established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the
board and a professional faculty members' organization and except that
this provision shall not impair the operation of any affirmative action
program in the district, regardless of whether it exists by operation of
law or is conducted on a voluntary basis by the board. Any teacher
dismissed as a result of such decrease or discontinuance shall be paid
all earned compensation on or before the third business day following
the last day of pupil attendance in the regular school term.
If the
board has any vacancies for the following school term or within one
calendar year from the beginning of the following school term, the
positions thereby becoming available shall be tendered to the teachers
so removed or dismissed so far as they are legally qualified to hold
such positions; provided, however, that if the number of honorable
dismissal notices based on economic necessity exceeds 15% of the number of full-time
equivalent positions filled by certified employees (excluding
principals and administrative personnel) during the preceding school year,
then if the board has any vacancies for the following school term or within
2 calendar years from the beginning of the following
school term, the positions so becoming available shall be tendered to the
teachers who were so notified and removed or dismissed whenever they are
legally qualified to hold such positions. Each board shall, in consultation
with any exclusive employee representatives, each year establish a list,
categorized by positions, showing the length of continuing service of each
teacher who is qualified to hold any such positions, unless an alternative
method of determining a sequence of dismissal is established as provided
for in this Section, in which case a list shall be made in accordance with
the alternative method. Copies of the list shall be distributed to the
exclusive employee representative on or before February 1 of each year.
Whenever the number of honorable dismissal notices based upon economic
necessity exceeds 5, or 150% of the average number of teachers honorably
dismissed in the preceding 3 years, whichever is more, then the board also
shall hold a public hearing on the question of the dismissals. Following
the hearing and board review, the action to approve any such reduction shall
require a majority vote of the board members.
(b) This subsection (b) applies only to honorable dismissals and recalls in which the notice of dismissal is provided during the 2011-2012 school term or a subsequent school term. If any teacher, whether or not in contractual continued service, is removed or dismissed as a result of a decision of a school board to decrease the number of teachers employed by the board, a decision of a school board to discontinue some particular type of teaching service, or a reduction in the number of programs or positions in a special education joint agreement, then written notice must be mailed to the teacher and also given to the teacher either by electronic mail, certified mail, return receipt requested, or personal delivery with receipt at least 45 days before the end of the school term, together with a statement of honorable dismissal and the reason therefor, and in all such cases the sequence of dismissal shall occur in accordance with this subsection (b); except that this subsection (b) shall not impair the operation of any affirmative action program in the school district, regardless of whether it exists by operation of law or is conducted on a voluntary basis by the board.
Each teacher must be categorized into one or more positions for which the teacher is qualified to hold, based upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications established in a district or joint agreement job description, on or before the May 10 prior to the school year during which the sequence of dismissal is determined. Within each position and subject to agreements made by the joint committee on honorable dismissals that are authorized by subsection (c) of this Section, the school district or joint agreement must establish 4 groupings of teachers qualified to hold the position as follows:
(1) Grouping one shall consist of each teacher who is
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| not in contractual continued service and who (i) has not received a performance evaluation rating, (ii) is employed for one school term or less to replace a teacher on leave, or (iii) is employed on a part-time basis. "Part-time basis" for the purposes of this subsection (b) means a teacher who is employed to teach less than a full-day, teacher workload or less than 5 days of the normal student attendance week, unless otherwise provided for in a collective bargaining agreement between the district and the exclusive representative of the district's teachers. For the purposes of this Section, a teacher (A) who is employed as a full-time teacher but who actually teaches or is otherwise present and participating in the district's educational program for less than a school term or (B) who, in the immediately previous school term, was employed on a full-time basis and actually taught or was otherwise present and participated in the district's educational program for 120 days or more is not considered employed on a part-time basis.
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(2) Grouping 2 shall consist of each teacher with a
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| Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory performance evaluation rating on either of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings.
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(3) Grouping 3 shall consist of each teacher with a
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| performance evaluation rating of at least Satisfactory or Proficient on both of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, if 2 ratings are available, or on the teacher's last performance evaluation rating, if only one rating is available, unless the teacher qualifies for placement into grouping 4.
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(4) Grouping 4 shall consist of each teacher whose
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| last 2 performance evaluation ratings are Excellent and each teacher with 2 Excellent performance evaluation ratings out of the teacher's last 3 performance evaluation ratings with a third rating of Satisfactory or Proficient.
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Among teachers qualified to hold a position, teachers must be dismissed in the order of their groupings, with teachers in grouping one dismissed first and teachers in grouping 4 dismissed last.
Within grouping one, the sequence of dismissal must be at the discretion of the school district or joint agreement. Within grouping 2, the sequence of dismissal must be based upon average performance evaluation ratings, with the teacher or teachers with the lowest average performance evaluation rating dismissed first. A teacher's average performance evaluation rating must be calculated using the average of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, if 2 ratings are available, or the teacher's last performance evaluation rating, if only one rating is available, using the following numerical values: 4 for Excellent; 3 for Proficient or Satisfactory; 2 for Needs Improvement; and 1 for Unsatisfactory. As between or among teachers in grouping 2 with the same average performance evaluation rating and within each of groupings 3 and 4, the teacher or teachers with the shorter length of continuing service with the school district or joint agreement must be dismissed first unless an alternative method of determining the sequence of dismissal is established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the board and a professional faculty members' organization.
Each board, including the governing board of a joint agreement, shall, in consultation with any exclusive employee representatives, each year establish a sequence of honorable dismissal list categorized by positions and the groupings defined in this subsection (b). Copies of the list showing each teacher by name, along with the race or ethnicity of the teacher if provided by the teacher, and categorized by positions and the groupings defined in this subsection (b) must be distributed to the exclusive bargaining representative at least 75 days before the end of the school term, provided that the school district or joint agreement may, with notice to any exclusive employee representatives, move teachers from grouping one into another grouping during the period of time from 75 days until 45 days before the end of the school term. Each year, each board shall also establish, in consultation with any exclusive employee representatives, a list showing the length of continuing service of each teacher who is qualified to hold any such positions, unless an alternative method of determining a sequence of dismissal is established as provided for in this Section, in which case a list must be made in accordance with the alternative method. Copies of the list must be distributed to the exclusive employee representative at least 75 days before the end of the school term.
Any teacher dismissed as a result of such decrease or discontinuance must be paid all earned compensation on or before the third business day following the last day of pupil attendance in the regular school term.
If the board or joint agreement has any vacancies for the following school term or within one calendar year from the beginning of the following school term, the positions thereby becoming available must be tendered to the teachers so removed or dismissed who were in grouping 3 or 4 of the sequence of dismissal and are qualified to hold the positions, based upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications established in a district or joint agreement job description, on or before the May 10 prior to the date of the positions becoming available, provided that if the number of honorable dismissal notices based on economic necessity exceeds 15% of the number of full-time equivalent positions filled by certified employees (excluding principals and administrative personnel) during the preceding school year, then the recall period is for the following school term or within 2 calendar years from the beginning of the following school term. If the board or joint agreement has any vacancies within the period from the beginning of the following school term through February 1 of the following school term (unless a date later than February 1, but no later than 6 months from the beginning of the following school term, is established in a collective bargaining agreement), the positions thereby becoming available must be tendered to the teachers so removed or dismissed who were in grouping 2 of the sequence of dismissal due to one "needs improvement" rating on either of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, provided that, if 2 ratings are available, the other performance evaluation rating used for grouping purposes is "satisfactory", "proficient", or "excellent", and are qualified to hold the positions, based upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications established in a district or joint agreement job description, on or before the May 10 prior to the date of the positions becoming available. On and after July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-648), the preceding sentence shall apply to teachers removed or dismissed by honorable dismissal, even if notice of honorable dismissal occurred during the 2013-2014 school year. Among teachers eligible for recall pursuant to the preceding sentence, the order of recall must be in inverse order of dismissal, unless an alternative order of recall is established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the board and a professional faculty members' organization. Whenever the number of honorable dismissal notices based upon economic necessity exceeds 5 notices or 150% of the average number of teachers honorably dismissed in the preceding 3 years, whichever is more, then the school board or governing board of a joint agreement, as applicable, shall also hold a public hearing on the question of the dismissals. Following the hearing and board review, the action to approve any such reduction shall require a majority vote of the board members.
For purposes of this subsection (b), subject to agreement on an alternative definition reached by the joint committee described in subsection (c) of this Section, a teacher's performance evaluation rating means the overall performance evaluation rating resulting from an annual or biennial performance evaluation conducted pursuant to Article 24A of this Code by the school district or joint agreement determining the sequence of dismissal, not including any performance evaluation conducted during or at the end of a remediation period. No more than one evaluation rating each school term shall be one of the evaluation ratings used for the purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection for any performance evaluations conducted during or at the end of a remediation period, if multiple performance evaluations are conducted in a school term, only the rating from the last evaluation conducted prior to establishing the sequence of honorable dismissal list in such school term shall be the one evaluation rating from that school term used for the purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. Averaging ratings from multiple evaluations is not permitted unless otherwise agreed to in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the board and a professional faculty members' organization. The preceding 3 sentences are not a legislative declaration that existing law does or does not already require that only one performance evaluation each school term shall be used for the purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. For performance evaluation ratings determined prior to September 1, 2012, any school district or joint agreement with a performance evaluation rating system that does not use either of the rating category systems specified in subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code for all teachers must establish a basis for assigning each teacher a rating that complies with subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code for all of the performance evaluation ratings that are to be used to determine the sequence of dismissal. A teacher's grouping and ranking on a sequence of honorable dismissal shall be deemed a part of the teacher's performance evaluation, and that information shall be disclosed to the exclusive bargaining representative as part of a sequence of honorable dismissal list, notwithstanding any laws prohibiting disclosure of such information. A performance evaluation rating may be used to determine the sequence of dismissal, notwithstanding the pendency of any grievance resolution or arbitration procedures relating to the performance evaluation. If a teacher has received at least one performance evaluation rating conducted by the school district or joint agreement determining the sequence of dismissal and a subsequent performance evaluation is not conducted in any school year in which such evaluation is required to be conducted under Section 24A-5 of this Code, the teacher's performance evaluation rating for that school year for purposes of determining the sequence of dismissal is deemed Proficient, except that, during any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, this default to Proficient does not apply to any teacher who has entered into contractual continued service and who was deemed Excellent on his or her most recent evaluation. During any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act and unless the school board and any exclusive bargaining representative have completed the performance rating for teachers or have mutually agreed to an alternate performance rating, any teacher who has entered into contractual continued service, whose most recent evaluation was deemed Excellent, and whose performance evaluation is not conducted when the evaluation is required to be conducted shall receive a teacher's performance rating deemed Excellent. A school board and any exclusive bargaining representative may mutually agree to an alternate performance rating for teachers not in contractual continued service during any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, as long as the agreement is in writing. If a performance evaluation rating is nullified as the result of an arbitration, administrative agency, or court determination, then the school district or joint agreement is deemed to have conducted a performance evaluation for that school year, but the performance evaluation rating may not be used in determining the sequence of dismissal.
Nothing in this subsection (b) shall be construed as limiting the right of a school board or governing board of a joint agreement to dismiss a teacher not in contractual continued service in accordance with Section 24-11 of this Code.
Any provisions regarding the sequence of honorable dismissals and recall of honorably dismissed teachers in a collective bargaining agreement entered into on or before January 1, 2011 and in effect on June 13, 2011 (the effective date of Public Act 97-8) that may conflict with Public Act 97-8 shall remain in effect through the expiration of such agreement or June 30, 2013, whichever is earlier.
(c) Each school district and special education joint agreement must use a joint committee composed of equal representation selected by the school board and its teachers or, if applicable, the exclusive bargaining representative of its teachers, to address the matters described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of this subsection (c) pertaining to honorable dismissals under subsection (b) of this Section.
(1) The joint committee must consider and may agree
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| to criteria for excluding from grouping 2 and placing into grouping 3 a teacher whose last 2 performance evaluations include a Needs Improvement and either a Proficient or Excellent.
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(2) The joint committee must consider and may agree
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| to an alternative definition for grouping 4, which definition must take into account prior performance evaluation ratings and may take into account other factors that relate to the school district's or program's educational objectives. An alternative definition for grouping 4 may not permit the inclusion of a teacher in the grouping with a Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory performance evaluation rating on either of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings.
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(3) The joint committee may agree to including within
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| the definition of a performance evaluation rating a performance evaluation rating administered by a school district or joint agreement other than the school district or joint agreement determining the sequence of dismissal.
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(4) For each school district or joint agreement that
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| administers performance evaluation ratings that are inconsistent with either of the rating category systems specified in subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code, the school district or joint agreement must consult with the joint committee on the basis for assigning a rating that complies with subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code to each performance evaluation rating that will be used in a sequence of dismissal.
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(5) Upon request by a joint committee member
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| submitted to the employing board by no later than 10 days after the distribution of the sequence of honorable dismissal list, a representative of the employing board shall, within 5 days after the request, provide to members of the joint committee a list showing the most recent and prior performance evaluation ratings of each teacher identified only by length of continuing service in the district or joint agreement and not by name. If, after review of this list, a member of the joint committee has a good faith belief that a disproportionate number of teachers with greater length of continuing service with the district or joint agreement have received a recent performance evaluation rating lower than the prior rating, the member may request that the joint committee review the list to assess whether such a trend may exist. Following the joint committee's review, but by no later than the end of the applicable school term, the joint committee or any member or members of the joint committee may submit a report of the review to the employing board and exclusive bargaining representative, if any. Nothing in this paragraph (5) shall impact the order of honorable dismissal or a school district's or joint agreement's authority to carry out a dismissal in accordance with subsection (b) of this Section.
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Agreement by the joint committee as to a matter requires the majority vote of all committee members, and if the joint committee does not reach agreement on a matter, then the otherwise applicable requirements of subsection (b) of this Section shall apply. Except as explicitly set forth in this subsection (c), a joint committee has no authority to agree to any further modifications to the requirements for honorable dismissals set forth in subsection (b) of this Section.
The joint committee must be established, and the first meeting of the joint committee each school year must occur on or before December 1.
The joint committee must reach agreement on a matter on or before February 1 of a school year in order for the agreement of the joint committee to apply to the sequence of dismissal determined during that school year. Subject to the February 1 deadline for agreements, the agreement of a joint committee on a matter shall apply to the sequence of dismissal until the agreement is amended or terminated by the joint committee.
The provisions of the Open Meetings Act shall not apply to meetings of a joint committee created under this subsection (c).
(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this subsection (d), the requirements and dismissal procedures of Section 24-16.5 of this Code shall apply to any dismissal sought under Section 24-16.5 of this Code.
(1) If a dismissal of a teacher in contractual
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| continued service is sought for any reason or cause other than an honorable dismissal under subsections (a) or (b) of this Section or a dismissal sought under Section 24-16.5 of this Code, including those under Section 10-22.4, the board must first approve a motion containing specific charges by a majority vote of all its members. Written notice of such charges, including a bill of particulars and the teacher's right to request a hearing, must be mailed to the teacher and also given to the teacher either by electronic mail, certified mail, return receipt requested, or personal delivery with receipt within 5 days of the adoption of the motion. Any written notice sent on or after July 1, 2012 shall inform the teacher of the right to request a hearing before a mutually selected hearing officer, with the cost of the hearing officer split equally between the teacher and the board, or a hearing before a board-selected hearing officer, with the cost of the hearing officer paid by the board.
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Before setting a hearing on charges stemming from
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| causes that are considered remediable, a board must give the teacher reasonable warning in writing, stating specifically the causes that, if not removed, may result in charges; however, no such written warning is required if the causes have been the subject of a remediation plan pursuant to Article 24A of this Code.
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If, in the opinion of the board, the interests of the
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| school require it, the board may suspend the teacher without pay, pending the hearing, but if the board's dismissal or removal is not sustained, the teacher shall not suffer the loss of any salary or benefits by reason of the suspension.
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(2) No hearing upon the charges is required unless
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| the teacher within 17 days after receiving notice requests in writing of the board that a hearing be scheduled before a mutually selected hearing officer or a hearing officer selected by the board. The secretary of the school board shall forward a copy of the notice to the State Board of Education.
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(3) Within 5 business days after receiving a notice
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| of hearing in which either notice to the teacher was sent before July 1, 2012 or, if the notice was sent on or after July 1, 2012, the teacher has requested a hearing before a mutually selected hearing officer, the State Board of Education shall provide a list of 5 prospective, impartial hearing officers from the master list of qualified, impartial hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education. Each person on the master list must (i) be accredited by a national arbitration organization and have had a minimum of 5 years of experience directly related to labor and employment relations matters between employers and employees or their exclusive bargaining representatives and (ii) beginning September 1, 2012, have participated in training provided or approved by the State Board of Education for teacher dismissal hearing officers so that he or she is familiar with issues generally involved in evaluative and non-evaluative dismissals.
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If notice to the teacher was sent before July 1, 2012
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| or, if the notice was sent on or after July 1, 2012, the teacher has requested a hearing before a mutually selected hearing officer, the board and the teacher or their legal representatives within 3 business days shall alternately strike one name from the list provided by the State Board of Education until only one name remains. Unless waived by the teacher, the teacher shall have the right to proceed first with the striking. Within 3 business days of receipt of the list provided by the State Board of Education, the board and the teacher or their legal representatives shall each have the right to reject all prospective hearing officers named on the list and notify the State Board of Education of such rejection. Within 3 business days after receiving this notification, the State Board of Education shall appoint a qualified person from the master list who did not appear on the list sent to the parties to serve as the hearing officer, unless the parties notify it that they have chosen to alternatively select a hearing officer under paragraph (4) of this subsection (d).
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If the teacher has requested a hearing before a
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| hearing officer selected by the board, the board shall select one name from the master list of qualified impartial hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education within 3 business days after receipt and shall notify the State Board of Education of its selection.
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A hearing officer mutually selected by the parties,
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| selected by the board, or selected through an alternative selection process under paragraph (4) of this subsection (d) (A) must not be a resident of the school district, (B) must be available to commence the hearing within 75 days and conclude the hearing within 120 days after being selected as the hearing officer, and (C) must issue a decision as to whether the teacher must be dismissed and give a copy of that decision to both the teacher and the board within 30 days from the conclusion of the hearing or closure of the record, whichever is later.
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Any hearing convened during a public health emergency
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| pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act may be convened remotely. Any hearing officer for a hearing convened during a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act may voluntarily withdraw from the hearing and another hearing officer shall be selected or appointed pursuant to this Section.
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In this paragraph, "pre-hearing procedures" refers to
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| the pre-hearing procedures under Section 51.55 of Title 23 of the Illinois Administrative Code and "hearing" refers to the hearing under Section 51.60 of Title 23 of the Illinois Administrative Code. Any teacher who has been charged with engaging in acts of corporal punishment, physical abuse, grooming, or sexual misconduct and who previously paused pre-hearing procedures or a hearing pursuant to Public Act 101-643 must proceed with selection of a hearing officer or hearing date, or both, within the timeframes established by this paragraph (3) and paragraphs (4) through (6) of this subsection (d), unless the timeframes are mutually waived in writing by both parties, and all timelines set forth in this Section in cases concerning corporal punishment, physical abuse, grooming, or sexual misconduct shall be reset to begin the day after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly. Any teacher charged with engaging in acts of corporal punishment, physical abuse, grooming, or sexual misconduct on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly may not pause pre-hearing procedures or a hearing.
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(4) In the alternative to selecting a hearing
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| officer from the list received from the State Board of Education or accepting the appointment of a hearing officer by the State Board of Education or if the State Board of Education cannot provide a list or appoint a hearing officer that meets the foregoing requirements, the board and the teacher or their legal representatives may mutually agree to select an impartial hearing officer who is not on the master list either by direct appointment by the parties or by using procedures for the appointment of an arbitrator established by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or the American Arbitration Association. The parties shall notify the State Board of Education of their intent to select a hearing officer using an alternative procedure within 3 business days of receipt of a list of prospective hearing officers provided by the State Board of Education, notice of appointment of a hearing officer by the State Board of Education, or receipt of notice from the State Board of Education that it cannot provide a list that meets the foregoing requirements, whichever is later.
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(5) If the notice of dismissal was sent to the
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| teacher before July 1, 2012, the fees and costs for the hearing officer must be paid by the State Board of Education. If the notice of dismissal was sent to the teacher on or after July 1, 2012, the hearing officer's fees and costs must be paid as follows in this paragraph (5). The fees and permissible costs for the hearing officer must be determined by the State Board of Education. If the board and the teacher or their legal representatives mutually agree to select an impartial hearing officer who is not on a list received from the State Board of Education, they may agree to supplement the fees determined by the State Board to the hearing officer, at a rate consistent with the hearing officer's published professional fees. If the hearing officer is mutually selected by the parties, then the board and the teacher or their legal representatives shall each pay 50% of the fees and costs and any supplemental allowance to which they agree. If the hearing officer is selected by the board, then the board shall pay 100% of the hearing officer's fees and costs. The fees and costs must be paid to the hearing officer within 14 days after the board and the teacher or their legal representatives receive the hearing officer's decision set forth in paragraph (7) of this subsection (d).
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(6) The teacher is required to answer the bill of
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| particulars and aver affirmative matters in his or her defense, and the time for initially doing so and the time for updating such answer and defenses after pre-hearing discovery must be set by the hearing officer. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules so that each party has a fair opportunity to present its case and to ensure that the dismissal process proceeds in a fair and expeditious manner. These rules shall address, without limitation, discovery and hearing scheduling conferences; the teacher's initial answer and affirmative defenses to the bill of particulars and the updating of that information after pre-hearing discovery; provision for written interrogatories and requests for production of documents; the requirement that each party initially disclose to the other party and then update the disclosure no later than 10 calendar days prior to the commencement of the hearing, the names and addresses of persons who may be called as witnesses at the hearing, a summary of the facts or opinions each witness will testify to, and all other documents and materials, including information maintained electronically, relevant to its own as well as the other party's case (the hearing officer may exclude witnesses and exhibits not identified and shared, except those offered in rebuttal for which the party could not reasonably have anticipated prior to the hearing); pre-hearing discovery and preparation, including provision for written interrogatories and requests for production of documents, provided that discovery depositions are prohibited; the conduct of the hearing; the right of each party to be represented by counsel, the offer of evidence and witnesses and the cross-examination of witnesses; the authority of the hearing officer to issue subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum, provided that the hearing officer may limit the number of witnesses to be subpoenaed on behalf of each party to no more than 7; the length of post-hearing briefs; and the form, length, and content of hearing officers' decisions. The hearing officer shall hold a hearing and render a final decision for dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or shall report to the school board findings of fact and a recommendation as to whether or not the teacher must be dismissed for conduct. The hearing officer shall commence the hearing within 75 days and conclude the hearing within 120 days after being selected as the hearing officer, provided that the hearing officer may modify these timelines upon the showing of good cause or mutual agreement of the parties. Good cause for the purpose of this subsection (d) shall mean the illness or otherwise unavoidable emergency of the teacher, district representative, their legal representatives, the hearing officer, or an essential witness as indicated in each party's pre-hearing submission. In a dismissal hearing pursuant to Article 24A of this Code in which a witness is a student or is under the age of 18, the hearing officer must make accommodations for the witness, as provided under paragraph (6.5) of this subsection. The hearing officer shall consider and give weight to all of the teacher's evaluations written pursuant to Article 24A that are relevant to the issues in the hearing.
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Each party shall have no more than 3 days to present
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| its case, unless extended by the hearing officer to enable a party to present adequate evidence and testimony, including due to the other party's cross-examination of the party's witnesses, for good cause or by mutual agreement of the parties. The State Board of Education shall define in rules the meaning of "day" for such purposes. All testimony at the hearing shall be taken under oath administered by the hearing officer. The hearing officer shall cause a record of the proceedings to be kept and shall employ a competent reporter to take stenographic or stenotype notes of all the testimony. The costs of the reporter's attendance and services at the hearing shall be paid by the party or parties who are responsible for paying the fees and costs of the hearing officer. Either party desiring a transcript of the hearing shall pay for the cost thereof. Any post-hearing briefs must be submitted by the parties by no later than 21 days after a party's receipt of the transcript of the hearing, unless extended by the hearing officer for good cause or by mutual agreement of the parties.
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(6.5) In the case of charges involving sexual abuse
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| or severe physical abuse of a student or a person under the age of 18, the hearing officer shall make alternative hearing procedures to protect a witness who is a student or who is under the age of 18 from being intimidated or traumatized. Alternative hearing procedures may include, but are not limited to: (i) testimony made via a telecommunication device in a location other than the hearing room and outside the physical presence of the teacher and other hearing participants, (ii) testimony outside the physical presence of the teacher, or (iii) non-public testimony. During a testimony described under this subsection, each party must be permitted to ask a witness who is a student or who is under 18 years of age all relevant questions and follow-up questions. All questions must exclude evidence of the witness' sexual behavior or predisposition, unless the evidence is offered to prove that someone other than the teacher subject to the dismissal hearing engaged in the charge at issue.
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(7) The hearing officer shall, within 30 days from
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| the conclusion of the hearing or closure of the record, whichever is later, make a decision as to whether or not the teacher shall be dismissed pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or report to the school board findings of fact and a recommendation as to whether or not the teacher shall be dismissed for cause and shall give a copy of the decision or findings of fact and recommendation to both the teacher and the school board. If a hearing officer fails without good cause, specifically provided in writing to both parties and the State Board of Education, to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation within 30 days after the hearing is concluded or the record is closed, whichever is later, the parties may mutually agree to select a hearing officer pursuant to the alternative procedure, as provided in this Section, to rehear the charges heard by the hearing officer who failed to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation or to review the record and render a decision. If any hearing officer fails without good cause, specifically provided in writing to both parties and the State Board of Education, to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation within 30 days after the hearing is concluded or the record is closed, whichever is later, the hearing officer shall be removed from the master list of hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education for not more than 24 months. The parties and the State Board of Education may also take such other actions as it deems appropriate, including recovering, reducing, or withholding any fees paid or to be paid to the hearing officer. If any hearing officer repeats such failure, he or she must be permanently removed from the master list maintained by the State Board of Education and may not be selected by parties through the alternative selection process under this paragraph (7) or paragraph (4) of this subsection (d). The board shall not lose jurisdiction to discharge a teacher if the hearing officer fails to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation within the time specified in this Section. If the decision of the hearing officer for dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or of the school board for dismissal for cause is in favor of the teacher, then the hearing officer or school board shall order reinstatement to the same or substantially equivalent position and shall determine the amount for which the school board is liable, including, but not limited to, loss of income and benefits.
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(8) The school board, within 45 days after receipt
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| of the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation as to whether (i) the conduct at issue occurred, (ii) the conduct that did occur was remediable, and (iii) the proposed dismissal should be sustained, shall issue a written order as to whether the teacher must be retained or dismissed for cause from its employ. The school board's written order shall incorporate the hearing officer's findings of fact, except that the school board may modify or supplement the findings of fact if, in its opinion, the findings of fact are against the manifest weight of the evidence.
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If the school board dismisses the teacher
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| notwithstanding the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation, the school board shall make a conclusion in its written order, giving its reasons therefor, and such conclusion and reasons must be included in its written order. The failure of the school board to strictly adhere to the timelines contained in this Section shall not render it without jurisdiction to dismiss the teacher. The school board shall not lose jurisdiction to discharge the teacher for cause if the hearing officer fails to render a recommendation within the time specified in this Section. The decision of the school board is final, unless reviewed as provided in paragraph (9) of this subsection (d).
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If the school board retains the teacher, the school
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| board shall enter a written order stating the amount of back pay and lost benefits, less mitigation, to be paid to the teacher, within 45 days after its retention order. Should the teacher object to the amount of the back pay and lost benefits or amount mitigated, the teacher shall give written objections to the amount within 21 days. If the parties fail to reach resolution within 7 days, the dispute shall be referred to the hearing officer, who shall consider the school board's written order and teacher's written objection and determine the amount to which the school board is liable. The costs of the hearing officer's review and determination must be paid by the board.
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(9) The decision of the hearing officer pursuant to
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| Article 24A of this Code or of the school board's decision to dismiss for cause is final unless reviewed as provided in Section 24-16 of this Code. If the school board's decision to dismiss for cause is contrary to the hearing officer's recommendation, the court on review shall give consideration to the school board's decision and its supplemental findings of fact, if applicable, and the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation in making its decision. In the event such review is instituted, the school board shall be responsible for preparing and filing the record of proceedings, and such costs associated therewith must be divided equally between the parties.
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(10) If a decision of the hearing officer for
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| dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or of the school board for dismissal for cause is adjudicated upon review or appeal in favor of the teacher, then the trial court shall order reinstatement and shall remand the matter to the school board with direction for entry of an order setting the amount of back pay, lost benefits, and costs, less mitigation. The teacher may challenge the school board's order setting the amount of back pay, lost benefits, and costs, less mitigation, through an expedited arbitration procedure, with the costs of the arbitrator borne by the school board.
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Any teacher who is reinstated by any hearing or
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| adjudication brought under this Section shall be assigned by the board to a position substantially similar to the one which that teacher held prior to that teacher's suspension or dismissal.
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(11) Subject to any later effective date referenced
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| in this Section for a specific aspect of the dismissal process, the changes made by Public Act 97-8 shall apply to dismissals instituted on or after September 1, 2011. Any dismissal instituted prior to September 1, 2011 must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of this Section prior to amendment by Public Act 97-8.
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(e) Nothing contained in Public Act 98-648 repeals, supersedes, invalidates, or nullifies final decisions in lawsuits pending on July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-648) in Illinois courts involving the interpretation of Public Act 97-8.
(Source: P.A. 102-708, eff. 4-22-22; 103-398, eff. 1-1-24.)
(Text of Section from P.A. 103-500)
Sec. 24-12. Removal or dismissal of teachers in contractual
continued service.
(a) This subsection (a) applies only to honorable dismissals and recalls in which the notice of dismissal is provided on or before the end of the 2010-2011 school term. If a teacher in contractual continued service is
removed or dismissed as a result of a decision of the board to decrease
the number of teachers employed by the board or to discontinue some
particular type of teaching service, written notice shall be mailed to the
teacher and also given the
teacher either by certified mail, return receipt requested or
personal delivery with receipt at least 60
days before
the end of the school term, together with a statement of honorable
dismissal and the reason therefor, and in all such cases the board shall
first remove or dismiss all teachers who have not entered upon contractual
continued service before removing or dismissing any teacher who has entered
upon contractual continued service and who is legally qualified to hold a
position currently held by a teacher who has not entered upon contractual
continued service.
As between teachers who have entered upon contractual
continued service, the teacher or teachers with the shorter length of
continuing service with the district shall be dismissed first
unless an alternative method of determining the sequence of dismissal is
established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the
board and a professional faculty members' organization and except that
this provision shall not impair the operation of any affirmative action
program in the district, regardless of whether it exists by operation of
law or is conducted on a voluntary basis by the board. Any teacher
dismissed as a result of such decrease or discontinuance shall be paid
all earned compensation on or before the third business day following
the last day of pupil attendance in the regular school term.
If the
board has any vacancies for the following school term or within one
calendar year from the beginning of the following school term, the
positions thereby becoming available shall be tendered to the teachers
so removed or dismissed so far as they are legally qualified to hold
such positions; provided, however, that if the number of honorable
dismissal notices based on economic necessity exceeds 15% of the number of full-time
equivalent positions filled by certified employees (excluding
principals and administrative personnel) during the preceding school year,
then if the board has any vacancies for the following school term or within
2 calendar years from the beginning of the following
school term, the positions so becoming available shall be tendered to the
teachers who were so notified and removed or dismissed whenever they are
legally qualified to hold such positions. Each board shall, in consultation
with any exclusive employee representatives, each year establish a list,
categorized by positions, showing the length of continuing service of each
teacher who is qualified to hold any such positions, unless an alternative
method of determining a sequence of dismissal is established as provided
for in this Section, in which case a list shall be made in accordance with
the alternative method. Copies of the list shall be distributed to the
exclusive employee representative on or before February 1 of each year.
Whenever the number of honorable dismissal notices based upon economic
necessity exceeds 5, or 150% of the average number of teachers honorably
dismissed in the preceding 3 years, whichever is more, then the board also
shall hold a public hearing on the question of the dismissals. Following
the hearing and board review, the action to approve any such reduction shall
require a majority vote of the board members.
(b) If any teacher, whether or not in contractual continued service, is removed or dismissed as a result of a decision of a school board to decrease the number of teachers employed by the board, a decision of a school board to discontinue some particular type of teaching service, or a reduction in the number of programs or positions in a special education joint agreement, then written notice must be mailed to the teacher and also given to the teacher either by electronic mail, certified mail, return receipt requested, or personal delivery with receipt on or before April 15, together with a statement of honorable dismissal and the reason therefor, and in all such cases the sequence of dismissal shall occur in accordance with this subsection (b); except that this subsection (b) shall not impair the operation of any affirmative action program in the school district, regardless of whether it exists by operation of law or is conducted on a voluntary basis by the board.
Each teacher must be categorized into one or more positions for which the teacher is qualified to hold, based upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications established in a district or joint agreement job description, on or before the May 10 prior to the school year during which the sequence of dismissal is determined. Within each position and subject to agreements made by the joint committee on honorable dismissals that are authorized by subsection (c) of this Section, the school district or joint agreement must establish 4 groupings of teachers qualified to hold the position as follows:
(1) Grouping one shall consist of each teacher who is
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| not in contractual continued service and who (i) has not received a performance evaluation rating, (ii) is employed for one school term or less to replace a teacher on leave, or (iii) is employed on a part-time basis. "Part-time basis" for the purposes of this subsection (b) means a teacher who is employed to teach less than a full-day, teacher workload or less than 5 days of the normal student attendance week, unless otherwise provided for in a collective bargaining agreement between the district and the exclusive representative of the district's teachers. For the purposes of this Section, a teacher (A) who is employed as a full-time teacher but who actually teaches or is otherwise present and participating in the district's educational program for less than a school term or (B) who, in the immediately previous school term, was employed on a full-time basis and actually taught or was otherwise present and participated in the district's educational program for 120 days or more is not considered employed on a part-time basis.
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(2) Grouping 2 shall consist of each teacher with a
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| Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory performance evaluation rating on either of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings.
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(3) Grouping 3 shall consist of each teacher with a
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| performance evaluation rating of at least Satisfactory or Proficient on both of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, if 2 ratings are available, or on the teacher's last performance evaluation rating, if only one rating is available, unless the teacher qualifies for placement into grouping 4.
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(4) Grouping 4 shall consist of each teacher whose
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| last 2 performance evaluation ratings are Excellent and each teacher with 2 Excellent performance evaluation ratings out of the teacher's last 3 performance evaluation ratings with a third rating of Satisfactory or Proficient.
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Among teachers qualified to hold a position, teachers must be dismissed in the order of their groupings, with teachers in grouping one dismissed first and teachers in grouping 4 dismissed last.
Within grouping one, the sequence of dismissal must be at the discretion of the school district or joint agreement. Within grouping 2, the sequence of dismissal must be based upon average performance evaluation ratings, with the teacher or teachers with the lowest average performance evaluation rating dismissed first. A teacher's average performance evaluation rating must be calculated using the average of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, if 2 ratings are available, or the teacher's last performance evaluation rating, if only one rating is available, using the following numerical values: 4 for Excellent; 3 for Proficient or Satisfactory; 2 for Needs Improvement; and 1 for Unsatisfactory. As between or among teachers in grouping 2 with the same average performance evaluation rating and within each of groupings 3 and 4, the teacher or teachers with the shorter length of continuing service with the school district or joint agreement must be dismissed first unless an alternative method of determining the sequence of dismissal is established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the board and a professional faculty members' organization.
Each board, including the governing board of a joint agreement, shall, in consultation with any exclusive employee representatives, each year establish a sequence of honorable dismissal list categorized by positions and the groupings defined in this subsection (b). Copies of the list showing each teacher by name and categorized by positions and the groupings defined in this subsection (b) must be distributed to the exclusive bargaining representative at least 75 days before the end of the school term, provided that the school district or joint agreement may, with notice to any exclusive employee representatives, move teachers from grouping one into another grouping during the period of time from 75 days until April 15. Each year, each board shall also establish, in consultation with any exclusive employee representatives, a list showing the length of continuing service of each teacher who is qualified to hold any such positions, unless an alternative method of determining a sequence of dismissal is established as provided for in this Section, in which case a list must be made in accordance with the alternative method. Copies of the list must be distributed to the exclusive employee representative at least 75 days before the end of the school term.
Any teacher dismissed as a result of such decrease or discontinuance must be paid all earned compensation on or before the third business day following the last day of pupil attendance in the regular school term.
If the board or joint agreement has any vacancies for the following school term or within one calendar year from the beginning of the following school term, the positions thereby becoming available must be tendered to the teachers so removed or dismissed who were in grouping 3 or 4 of the sequence of dismissal and are qualified to hold the positions, based upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications established in a district or joint agreement job description, on or before the May 10 prior to the date of the positions becoming available, provided that if the number of honorable dismissal notices based on economic necessity exceeds 15% of the number of full-time equivalent positions filled by certified employees (excluding principals and administrative personnel) during the preceding school year, then the recall period is for the following school term or within 2 calendar years from the beginning of the following school term. If the board or joint agreement has any vacancies within the period from the beginning of the following school term through February 1 of the following school term (unless a date later than February 1, but no later than 6 months from the beginning of the following school term, is established in a collective bargaining agreement), the positions thereby becoming available must be tendered to the teachers so removed or dismissed who were in grouping 2 of the sequence of dismissal due to one "needs improvement" rating on either of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, provided that, if 2 ratings are available, the other performance evaluation rating used for grouping purposes is "satisfactory", "proficient", or "excellent", and are qualified to hold the positions, based upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications established in a district or joint agreement job description, on or before the May 10 prior to the date of the positions becoming available. On and after July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-648), the preceding sentence shall apply to teachers removed or dismissed by honorable dismissal, even if notice of honorable dismissal occurred during the 2013-2014 school year. Among teachers eligible for recall pursuant to the preceding sentence, the order of recall must be in inverse order of dismissal, unless an alternative order of recall is established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the board and a professional faculty members' organization. Whenever the number of honorable dismissal notices based upon economic necessity exceeds 5 notices or 150% of the average number of teachers honorably dismissed in the preceding 3 years, whichever is more, then the school board or governing board of a joint agreement, as applicable, shall also hold a public hearing on the question of the dismissals. Following the hearing and board review, the action to approve any such reduction shall require a majority vote of the board members.
For purposes of this subsection (b), subject to agreement on an alternative definition reached by the joint committee described in subsection (c) of this Section, a teacher's performance evaluation rating means the overall performance evaluation rating resulting from an annual or biennial performance evaluation conducted pursuant to Article 24A of this Code by the school district or joint agreement determining the sequence of dismissal, not including any performance evaluation conducted during or at the end of a remediation period. No more than one evaluation rating each school term shall be one of the evaluation ratings used for the purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection for any performance evaluations conducted during or at the end of a remediation period, if multiple performance evaluations are conducted in a school term, only the rating from the last evaluation conducted prior to establishing the sequence of honorable dismissal list in such school term shall be the one evaluation rating from that school term used for the purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. Averaging ratings from multiple evaluations is not permitted unless otherwise agreed to in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between the board and a professional faculty members' organization. The preceding 3 sentences are not a legislative declaration that existing law does or does not already require that only one performance evaluation each school term shall be used for the purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. For performance evaluation ratings determined prior to September 1, 2012, any school district or joint agreement with a performance evaluation rating system that does not use either of the rating category systems specified in subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code for all teachers must establish a basis for assigning each teacher a rating that complies with subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code for all of the performance evaluation ratings that are to be used to determine the sequence of dismissal. A teacher's grouping and ranking on a sequence of honorable dismissal shall be deemed a part of the teacher's performance evaluation, and that information shall be disclosed to the exclusive bargaining representative as part of a sequence of honorable dismissal list, notwithstanding any laws prohibiting disclosure of such information. A performance evaluation rating may be used to determine the sequence of dismissal, notwithstanding the pendency of any grievance resolution or arbitration procedures relating to the performance evaluation. If a teacher has received at least one performance evaluation rating conducted by the school district or joint agreement determining the sequence of dismissal and a subsequent performance evaluation is not conducted in any school year in which such evaluation is required to be conducted under Section 24A-5 of this Code, the teacher's performance evaluation rating for that school year for purposes of determining the sequence of dismissal is deemed Proficient, except that, during any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, this default to Proficient does not apply to any teacher who has entered into contractual continued service and who was deemed Excellent on his or her most recent evaluation. During any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act and unless the school board and any exclusive bargaining representative have completed the performance rating for teachers or have mutually agreed to an alternate performance rating, any teacher who has entered into contractual continued service, whose most recent evaluation was deemed Excellent, and whose performance evaluation is not conducted when the evaluation is required to be conducted shall receive a teacher's performance rating deemed Excellent. A school board and any exclusive bargaining representative may mutually agree to an alternate performance rating for teachers not in contractual continued service during any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, as long as the agreement is in writing. If a performance evaluation rating is nullified as the result of an arbitration, administrative agency, or court determination, then the school district or joint agreement is deemed to have conducted a performance evaluation for that school year, but the performance evaluation rating may not be used in determining the sequence of dismissal.
Nothing in this subsection (b) shall be construed as limiting the right of a school board or governing board of a joint agreement to dismiss a teacher not in contractual continued service in accordance with Section 24-11 of this Code.
Any provisions regarding the sequence of honorable dismissals and recall of honorably dismissed teachers in a collective bargaining agreement entered into on or before January 1, 2011 and in effect on June 13, 2011 (the effective date of Public Act 97-8) that may conflict with Public Act 97-8 shall remain in effect through the expiration of such agreement or June 30, 2013, whichever is earlier.
(c) Each school district and special education joint agreement must use a joint committee composed of equal representation selected by the school board and its teachers or, if applicable, the exclusive bargaining representative of its teachers, to address the matters described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of this subsection (c) pertaining to honorable dismissals under subsection (b) of this Section.
(1) The joint committee must consider and may agree
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| to criteria for excluding from grouping 2 and placing into grouping 3 a teacher whose last 2 performance evaluations include a Needs Improvement and either a Proficient or Excellent.
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(2) The joint committee must consider and may agree
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| to an alternative definition for grouping 4, which definition must take into account prior performance evaluation ratings and may take into account other factors that relate to the school district's or program's educational objectives. An alternative definition for grouping 4 may not permit the inclusion of a teacher in the grouping with a Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory performance evaluation rating on either of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings.
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(3) The joint committee may agree to including within
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| the definition of a performance evaluation rating a performance evaluation rating administered by a school district or joint agreement other than the school district or joint agreement determining the sequence of dismissal.
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(4) For each school district or joint agreement that
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| administers performance evaluation ratings that are inconsistent with either of the rating category systems specified in subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code, the school district or joint agreement must consult with the joint committee on the basis for assigning a rating that complies with subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code to each performance evaluation rating that will be used in a sequence of dismissal.
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(5) Upon request by a joint committee member
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| submitted to the employing board by no later than 10 days after the distribution of the sequence of honorable dismissal list, a representative of the employing board shall, within 5 days after the request, provide to members of the joint committee a list showing the most recent and prior performance evaluation ratings of each teacher identified only by length of continuing service in the district or joint agreement and not by name. If, after review of this list, a member of the joint committee has a good faith belief that a disproportionate number of teachers with greater length of continuing service with the district or joint agreement have received a recent performance evaluation rating lower than the prior rating, the member may request that the joint committee review the list to assess whether such a trend may exist. Following the joint committee's review, but by no later than the end of the applicable school term, the joint committee or any member or members of the joint committee may submit a report of the review to the employing board and exclusive bargaining representative, if any. Nothing in this paragraph (5) shall impact the order of honorable dismissal or a school district's or joint agreement's authority to carry out a dismissal in accordance with subsection (b) of this Section.
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Agreement by the joint committee as to a matter requires the majority vote of all committee members, and if the joint committee does not reach agreement on a matter, then the otherwise applicable requirements of subsection (b) of this Section shall apply. Except as explicitly set forth in this subsection (c), a joint committee has no authority to agree to any further modifications to the requirements for honorable dismissals set forth in subsection (b) of this Section.
The joint committee must be established, and the first meeting of the joint committee each school year must occur on or before December 1.
The joint committee must reach agreement on a matter on or before February 1 of a school year in order for the agreement of the joint committee to apply to the sequence of dismissal determined during that school year. Subject to the February 1 deadline for agreements, the agreement of a joint committee on a matter shall apply to the sequence of dismissal until the agreement is amended or terminated by the joint committee.
The provisions of the Open Meetings Act shall not apply to meetings of a joint committee created under this subsection (c).
(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this subsection (d), the requirements and dismissal procedures of Section 24-16.5 of this Code shall apply to any dismissal sought under Section 24-16.5 of this Code.
(1) If a dismissal of a teacher in contractual
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| continued service is sought for any reason or cause other than an honorable dismissal under subsections (a) or (b) of this Section or a dismissal sought under Section 24-16.5 of this Code, including those under Section 10-22.4, the board must first approve a motion containing specific charges by a majority vote of all its members. Written notice of such charges, including a bill of particulars and the teacher's right to request a hearing, must be mailed to the teacher and also given to the teacher either by electronic mail, certified mail, return receipt requested, or personal delivery with receipt within 5 days of the adoption of the motion. Any written notice sent on or after July 1, 2012 shall inform the teacher of the right to request a hearing before a mutually selected hearing officer, with the cost of the hearing officer split equally between the teacher and the board, or a hearing before a board-selected hearing officer, with the cost of the hearing officer paid by the board.
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Before setting a hearing on charges stemming from
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| causes that are considered remediable, a board must give the teacher reasonable warning in writing, stating specifically the causes that, if not removed, may result in charges; however, no such written warning is required if the causes have been the subject of a remediation plan pursuant to Article 24A of this Code.
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If, in the opinion of the board, the interests of the
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| school require it, the board may suspend the teacher without pay, pending the hearing, but if the board's dismissal or removal is not sustained, the teacher shall not suffer the loss of any salary or benefits by reason of the suspension.
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(2) No hearing upon the charges is required unless
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| the teacher within 17 days after receiving notice requests in writing of the board that a hearing be scheduled before a mutually selected hearing officer or a hearing officer selected by the board. The secretary of the school board shall forward a copy of the notice to the State Board of Education.
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(3) Within 5 business days after receiving a notice
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| of hearing in which either notice to the teacher was sent before July 1, 2012 or, if the notice was sent on or after July 1, 2012, the teacher has requested a hearing before a mutually selected hearing officer, the State Board of Education shall provide a list of 5 prospective, impartial hearing officers from the master list of qualified, impartial hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education. Each person on the master list must (i) be accredited by a national arbitration organization and have had a minimum of 5 years of experience directly related to labor and employment relations matters between employers and employees or their exclusive bargaining representatives and (ii) beginning September 1, 2012, have participated in training provided or approved by the State Board of Education for teacher dismissal hearing officers so that he or she is familiar with issues generally involved in evaluative and non-evaluative dismissals.
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If notice to the teacher was sent before July 1, 2012
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| or, if the notice was sent on or after July 1, 2012, the teacher has requested a hearing before a mutually selected hearing officer, the board and the teacher or their legal representatives within 3 business days shall alternately strike one name from the list provided by the State Board of Education until only one name remains. Unless waived by the teacher, the teacher shall have the right to proceed first with the striking. Within 3 business days of receipt of the list provided by the State Board of Education, the board and the teacher or their legal representatives shall each have the right to reject all prospective hearing officers named on the list and notify the State Board of Education of such rejection. Within 3 business days after receiving this notification, the State Board of Education shall appoint a qualified person from the master list who did not appear on the list sent to the parties to serve as the hearing officer, unless the parties notify it that they have chosen to alternatively select a hearing officer under paragraph (4) of this subsection (d).
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If the teacher has requested a hearing before a
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| hearing officer selected by the board, the board shall select one name from the master list of qualified impartial hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education within 3 business days after receipt and shall notify the State Board of Education of its selection.
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A hearing officer mutually selected by the parties,
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| selected by the board, or selected through an alternative selection process under paragraph (4) of this subsection (d) (A) must not be a resident of the school district, (B) must be available to commence the hearing within 75 days and conclude the hearing within 120 days after being selected as the hearing officer, and (C) must issue a decision as to whether the teacher must be dismissed and give a copy of that decision to both the teacher and the board within 30 days from the conclusion of the hearing or closure of the record, whichever is later.
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Any hearing convened during a public health emergency
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| pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act may be convened remotely. Any hearing officer for a hearing convened during a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act may voluntarily withdraw from the hearing and another hearing officer shall be selected or appointed pursuant to this Section.
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In this paragraph, "pre-hearing procedures" refers to
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| the pre-hearing procedures under Section 51.55 of Title 23 of the Illinois Administrative Code and "hearing" refers to the hearing under Section 51.60 of Title 23 of the Illinois Administrative Code. Any teacher who has been charged with engaging in acts of corporal punishment, physical abuse, grooming, or sexual misconduct and who previously paused pre-hearing procedures or a hearing pursuant to Public Act 101-643 must proceed with selection of a hearing officer or hearing date, or both, within the timeframes established by this paragraph (3) and paragraphs (4) through (6) of this subsection (d), unless the timeframes are mutually waived in writing by both parties, and all timelines set forth in this Section in cases concerning corporal punishment, physical abuse, grooming, or sexual misconduct shall be reset to begin the day after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly. Any teacher charged with engaging in acts of corporal punishment, physical abuse, grooming, or sexual misconduct on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly may not pause pre-hearing procedures or a hearing.
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(4) In the alternative to selecting a hearing
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| officer from the list received from the State Board of Education or accepting the appointment of a hearing officer by the State Board of Education or if the State Board of Education cannot provide a list or appoint a hearing officer that meets the foregoing requirements, the board and the teacher or their legal representatives may mutually agree to select an impartial hearing officer who is not on the master list either by direct appointment by the parties or by using procedures for the appointment of an arbitrator established by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or the American Arbitration Association. The parties shall notify the State Board of Education of their intent to select a hearing officer using an alternative procedure within 3 business days of receipt of a list of prospective hearing officers provided by the State Board of Education, notice of appointment of a hearing officer by the State Board of Education, or receipt of notice from the State Board of Education that it cannot provide a list that meets the foregoing requirements, whichever is later.
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(5) If the notice of dismissal was sent to the
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| teacher before July 1, 2012, the fees and costs for the hearing officer must be paid by the State Board of Education. If the notice of dismissal was sent to the teacher on or after July 1, 2012, the hearing officer's fees and costs must be paid as follows in this paragraph (5). The fees and permissible costs for the hearing officer must be determined by the State Board of Education. If the board and the teacher or their legal representatives mutually agree to select an impartial hearing officer who is not on a list received from the State Board of Education, they may agree to supplement the fees determined by the State Board to the hearing officer, at a rate consistent with the hearing officer's published professional fees. If the hearing officer is mutually selected by the parties, then the board and the teacher or their legal representatives shall each pay 50% of the fees and costs and any supplemental allowance to which they agree. If the hearing officer is selected by the board, then the board shall pay 100% of the hearing officer's fees and costs. The fees and costs must be paid to the hearing officer within 14 days after the board and the teacher or their legal representatives receive the hearing officer's decision set forth in paragraph (7) of this subsection (d).
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(6) The teacher is required to answer the bill of
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| particulars and aver affirmative matters in his or her defense, and the time for initially doing so and the time for updating such answer and defenses after pre-hearing discovery must be set by the hearing officer. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules so that each party has a fair opportunity to present its case and to ensure that the dismissal process proceeds in a fair and expeditious manner. These rules shall address, without limitation, discovery and hearing scheduling conferences; the teacher's initial answer and affirmative defenses to the bill of particulars and the updating of that information after pre-hearing discovery; provision for written interrogatories and requests for production of documents; the requirement that each party initially disclose to the other party and then update the disclosure no later than 10 calendar days prior to the commencement of the hearing, the names and addresses of persons who may be called as witnesses at the hearing, a summary of the facts or opinions each witness will testify to, and all other documents and materials, including information maintained electronically, relevant to its own as well as the other party's case (the hearing officer may exclude witnesses and exhibits not identified and shared, except those offered in rebuttal for which the party could not reasonably have anticipated prior to the hearing); pre-hearing discovery and preparation, including provision for written interrogatories and requests for production of documents, provided that discovery depositions are prohibited; the conduct of the hearing; the right of each party to be represented by counsel, the offer of evidence and witnesses and the cross-examination of witnesses; the authority of the hearing officer to issue subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum, provided that the hearing officer may limit the number of witnesses to be subpoenaed on behalf of each party to no more than 7; the length of post-hearing briefs; and the form, length, and content of hearing officers' decisions. The hearing officer shall hold a hearing and render a final decision for dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or shall report to the school board findings of fact and a recommendation as to whether or not the teacher must be dismissed for conduct. The hearing officer shall commence the hearing within 75 days and conclude the hearing within 120 days after being selected as the hearing officer, provided that the hearing officer may modify these timelines upon the showing of good cause or mutual agreement of the parties. Good cause for the purpose of this subsection (d) shall mean the illness or otherwise unavoidable emergency of the teacher, district representative, their legal representatives, the hearing officer, or an essential witness as indicated in each party's pre-hearing submission. In a dismissal hearing pursuant to Article 24A of this Code in which a witness is a student or is under the age of 18, the hearing officer must make accommodations for the witness, as provided under paragraph (6.5) of this subsection. The hearing officer shall consider and give weight to all of the teacher's evaluations written pursuant to Article 24A that are relevant to the issues in the hearing.
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Each party shall have no more than 3 days to present
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| its case, unless extended by the hearing officer to enable a party to present adequate evidence and testimony, including due to the other party's cross-examination of the party's witnesses, for good cause or by mutual agreement of the parties. The State Board of Education shall define in rules the meaning of "day" for such purposes. All testimony at the hearing shall be taken under oath administered by the hearing officer. The hearing officer shall cause a record of the proceedings to be kept and shall employ a competent reporter to take stenographic or stenotype notes of all the testimony. The costs of the reporter's attendance and services at the hearing shall be paid by the party or parties who are responsible for paying the fees and costs of the hearing officer. Either party desiring a transcript of the hearing shall pay for the cost thereof. Any post-hearing briefs must be submitted by the parties by no later than 21 days after a party's receipt of the transcript of the hearing, unless extended by the hearing officer for good cause or by mutual agreement of the parties.
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(6.5) In the case of charges involving sexual abuse
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| or severe physical abuse of a student or a person under the age of 18, the hearing officer shall make alternative hearing procedures to protect a witness who is a student or who is under the age of 18 from being intimidated or traumatized. Alternative hearing procedures may include, but are not limited to: (i) testimony made via a telecommunication device in a location other than the hearing room and outside the physical presence of the teacher and other hearing participants, (ii) testimony outside the physical presence of the teacher, or (iii) non-public testimony. During a testimony described under this subsection, each party must be permitted to ask a witness who is a student or who is under 18 years of age all relevant questions and follow-up questions. All questions must exclude evidence of the witness' sexual behavior or predisposition, unless the evidence is offered to prove that someone other than the teacher subject to the dismissal hearing engaged in the charge at issue.
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(7) The hearing officer shall, within 30 days from
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| the conclusion of the hearing or closure of the record, whichever is later, make a decision as to whether or not the teacher shall be dismissed pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or report to the school board findings of fact and a recommendation as to whether or not the teacher shall be dismissed for cause and shall give a copy of the decision or findings of fact and recommendation to both the teacher and the school board. If a hearing officer fails without good cause, specifically provided in writing to both parties and the State Board of Education, to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation within 30 days after the hearing is concluded or the record is closed, whichever is later, the parties may mutually agree to select a hearing officer pursuant to the alternative procedure, as provided in this Section, to rehear the charges heard by the hearing officer who failed to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation or to review the record and render a decision. If any hearing officer fails without good cause, specifically provided in writing to both parties and the State Board of Education, to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation within 30 days after the hearing is concluded or the record is closed, whichever is later, the hearing officer shall be removed from the master list of hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education for not more than 24 months. The parties and the State Board of Education may also take such other actions as it deems appropriate, including recovering, reducing, or withholding any fees paid or to be paid to the hearing officer. If any hearing officer repeats such failure, he or she must be permanently removed from the master list maintained by the State Board of Education and may not be selected by parties through the alternative selection process under this paragraph (7) or paragraph (4) of this subsection (d). The board shall not lose jurisdiction to discharge a teacher if the hearing officer fails to render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation within the time specified in this Section. If the decision of the hearing officer for dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or of the school board for dismissal for cause is in favor of the teacher, then the hearing officer or school board shall order reinstatement to the same or substantially equivalent position and shall determine the amount for which the school board is liable, including, but not limited to, loss of income and benefits.
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(8) The school board, within 45 days after receipt
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| of the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation as to whether (i) the conduct at issue occurred, (ii) the conduct that did occur was remediable, and (iii) the proposed dismissal should be sustained, shall issue a written order as to whether the teacher must be retained or dismissed for cause from its employ. The school board's written order shall incorporate the hearing officer's findings of fact, except that the school board may modify or supplement the findings of fact if, in its opinion, the findings of fact are against the manifest weight of the evidence.
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If the school board dismisses the teacher
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| notwithstanding the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation, the school board shall make a conclusion in its written order, giving its reasons therefor, and such conclusion and reasons must be included in its written order. The failure of the school board to strictly adhere to the timelines contained in this Section shall not render it without jurisdiction to dismiss the teacher. The school board shall not lose jurisdiction to discharge the teacher for cause if the hearing officer fails to render a recommendation within the time specified in this Section. The decision of the school board is final, unless reviewed as provided in paragraph (9) of this subsection (d).
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If the school board retains the teacher, the school
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| board shall enter a written order stating the amount of back pay and lost benefits, less mitigation, to be paid to the teacher, within 45 days after its retention order. Should the teacher object to the amount of the back pay and lost benefits or amount mitigated, the teacher shall give written objections to the amount within 21 days. If the parties fail to reach resolution within 7 days, the dispute shall be referred to the hearing officer, who shall consider the school board's written order and teacher's written objection and determine the amount to which the school board is liable. The costs of the hearing officer's review and determination must be paid by the board.
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(9) The decision of the hearing officer pursuant to
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| Article 24A of this Code or of the school board's decision to dismiss for cause is final unless reviewed as provided in Section 24-16 of this Code. If the school board's decision to dismiss for cause is contrary to the hearing officer's recommendation, the court on review shall give consideration to the school board's decision and its supplemental findings of fact, if applicable, and the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation in making its decision. In the event such review is instituted, the school board shall be responsible for preparing and filing the record of proceedings, and such costs associated therewith must be divided equally between the parties.
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(10) If a decision of the hearing officer for
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| dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or of the school board for dismissal for cause is adjudicated upon review or appeal in favor of the teacher, then the trial court shall order reinstatement and shall remand the matter to the school board with direction for entry of an order setting the amount of back pay, lost benefits, and costs, less mitigation. The teacher may challenge the school board's order setting the amount of back pay, lost benefits, and costs, less mitigation, through an expedited arbitration procedure, with the costs of the arbitrator borne by the school board.
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Any teacher who is reinstated by any hearing or
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| adjudication brought under this Section shall be assigned by the board to a position substantially similar to the one which that teacher held prior to that teacher's suspension or dismissal.
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(11) Subject to any later effective date referenced
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| in this Section for a specific aspect of the dismissal process, the changes made by Public Act 97-8 shall apply to dismissals instituted on or after September 1, 2011. Any dismissal instituted prior to September 1, 2011 must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of this Section prior to amendment by Public Act 97-8.
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(e) Nothing contained in Public Act 98-648 repeals, supersedes, invalidates, or nullifies final decisions in lawsuits pending on July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-648) in Illinois courts involving the interpretation of Public Act 97-8.
(Source: P.A. 102-708, eff. 4-22-22; 103-500, eff. 8-4-23.)
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