SB1872 EnrolledLRB103 26797 RJT 53160 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
524-11, 24-12, and 34-84 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/24-11)  (from Ch. 122, par. 24-11)
7    Sec. 24-11. Boards of Education - Boards of School
8Inspectors - Contractual continued service.
9    (a) As used in this and the succeeding Sections of this
10Article:
11    "Teacher" means any or all school district employees
12regularly required to be licensed under laws relating to the
13licensure of teachers.
14    "Board" means board of directors, board of education, or
15board of school inspectors, as the case may be.
16    "School term" means that portion of the school year, July
171 to the following June 30, when school is in actual session.
18    "Program" means a program of a special education joint
19agreement.
20    "Program of a special education joint agreement" means
21instructional, consultative, supervisory, administrative,
22diagnostic, and related services that are managed by a special
23educational joint agreement designed to service 2 or more

 

 

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1school districts that are members of the joint agreement.
2    "PERA implementation date" means the implementation date
3of an evaluation system for teachers as specified by Section
424A-2.5 of this Code for all schools within a school district
5or all programs of a special education joint agreement.
6    (b) This Section and Sections 24-12 through 24-16 of this
7Article apply only to school districts having less than
8500,000 inhabitants.
9    (c) Any teacher who is first employed as a full-time
10teacher in a school district or program prior to the PERA
11implementation date and who is employed in that district or
12program for a probationary period of 4 consecutive school
13terms shall enter upon contractual continued service in the
14district or in all of the programs that the teacher is legally
15qualified to hold, unless the teacher is given written notice
16of dismissal by certified mail, return receipt requested, by
17the employing board at least 45 days before the end of any
18school term within such period.
19    (d) For any teacher who is first employed as a full-time
20teacher in a school district or program on or after the PERA
21implementation date but before July 1, 2023, the probationary
22period shall be one of the following periods, based upon the
23teacher's school terms of service and performance, before the
24teacher shall enter upon contractual continued service in the
25district or in all of the programs that the teacher is legally
26qualified to hold, unless the teacher is given written notice

 

 

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1of dismissal by certified mail, return receipt requested, by
2the employing board on or before April 15 at least 45 days
3before the end of any school term within such period:
4        (1) 4 consecutive school terms of service in which the
5    teacher holds a Professional Educator License and receives
6    overall annual evaluation ratings of at least "Proficient"
7    in the last school term and at least "Proficient" in
8    either the second or third school terms term;
9        (2) 3 consecutive school terms of service in which the
10    teacher holds a Professional Educator License and receives
11    2 3 overall annual evaluations of "Excellent"; or
12        (3) 2 consecutive school terms of service in which the
13    teacher holds a Professional Educator License and receives
14    2 overall annual evaluations of "Excellent" service, but
15    only if the teacher (i) previously attained contractual
16    continued service in a different school district or
17    program in this State, (ii) voluntarily departed or was
18    honorably dismissed from that school district or program
19    in the school term immediately prior to the teacher's
20    first school term of service applicable to the attainment
21    of contractual continued service under this subdivision
22    (3), and (iii) received, in his or her 2 most recent
23    overall annual or biennial evaluations from the prior
24    school district or program, ratings of at least
25    "Proficient", with both such ratings occurring after the
26    school district's or program's PERA implementation date.

 

 

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1    For a teacher to attain contractual continued service
2    under this subdivision (3), the teacher shall provide
3    official copies of his or her 2 most recent overall annual
4    or biennial evaluations from the prior school district or
5    program to the new school district or program within 60
6    days from the teacher's first day of service with the new
7    school district or program. The prior school district or
8    program must provide the teacher with official copies of
9    his or her 2 most recent overall annual or biennial
10    evaluations within 14 days after the teacher's request. If
11    a teacher has requested such official copies prior to 45
12    days after the teacher's first day of service with the new
13    school district or program and the teacher's prior school
14    district or program fails to provide the teacher with the
15    official copies required under this subdivision (3), then
16    the time period for the teacher to submit the official
17    copies to his or her new school district or program must be
18    extended until 14 days after receipt of such copies from
19    the prior school district or program. If the prior school
20    district or program fails to provide the teacher with the
21    official copies required under this subdivision (3) within
22    90 days from the teacher's first day of service with the
23    new school district or program, then the new school
24    district or program shall rely upon the teacher's own
25    copies of his or her evaluations for purposes of this
26    subdivision (3).

 

 

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1    If the teacher does not receive overall annual evaluations
2of "Excellent" in the school terms necessary for eligibility
3to achieve accelerated contractual continued service in
4subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection (d), the teacher
5shall be eligible for contractual continued service pursuant
6to subdivision (1) of this subsection (d). If, at the
7conclusion of 4 consecutive school terms of service that count
8toward attainment of contractual continued service, the
9teacher's performance does not qualify the teacher for
10contractual continued service under subdivision (1) of this
11subsection (d), then the teacher shall not enter upon
12contractual continued service and shall be dismissed. If a
13performance evaluation is not conducted for any school term
14when such evaluation is required to be conducted under Section
1524A-5 of this Code, then the teacher's performance evaluation
16rating for such school term for purposes of determining the
17attainment of contractual continued service shall be deemed
18"Proficient", except that, during any time in which the
19Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health
20emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency
21Management Agency Act, this default to "Proficient" does not
22apply to any teacher who has entered into contractual
23continued service and who was deemed "Excellent" on his or her
24most recent evaluation. During any time in which the Governor
25has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency
26pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management

 

 

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1Agency Act and unless the school board and any exclusive
2bargaining representative have completed the performance
3rating for teachers or mutually agreed to an alternate
4performance rating, any teacher who has entered into
5contractual continued service, whose most recent evaluation
6was deemed "Excellent", and whose performance evaluation is
7not conducted when the evaluation is required to be conducted
8shall receive a teacher's performance rating deemed
9"Excellent". A school board and any exclusive bargaining
10representative may mutually agree to an alternate performance
11rating for teachers not in contractual continued service
12during any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster
13due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the
14Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, as long as the
15agreement is in writing.
16    (d-5) For any teacher who is first employed as a full-time
17teacher in a school district or program on or after July 1,
182023, the probationary period shall be one of the following
19periods, based upon the teacher's school terms of service and
20performance, before the teacher shall enter upon contractual
21continued service in the district or in all of the programs
22that the teacher is legally qualified to hold, unless the
23teacher is given written notice of dismissal by certified
24mail, return receipt requested, by the employing board on or
25before April 15:
26        (1) 3 consecutive school terms of service in which the

 

 

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1    teacher holds a Professional Educator License and receives
2    overall annual evaluation ratings of at least "Proficient"
3    in the second and third school terms;
4        (2) 2 consecutive school terms of service in which the
5    teacher holds a Professional Educator License and receives
6    2 overall annual evaluations of "Excellent"; or
7        (3) 2 consecutive school terms of service in which the
8    teacher holds a Professional Educator License and receives
9    2 overall annual evaluations of "Excellent" service, but
10    only if the teacher (i) previously attained contractual
11    continued service in a different school district or
12    program in this State, (ii) voluntarily departed or was
13    honorably dismissed from that school district or program
14    in the school term immediately prior to the teacher's
15    first school term of service applicable to the attainment
16    of contractual continued service under this subdivision
17    (3), and (iii) received, in his or her 2 most recent
18    overall annual or biennial evaluations from the prior
19    school district or program, ratings of at least
20    "Proficient", with both such ratings occurring after the
21    school district's or program's PERA implementation date.
22    For a teacher to attain contractual continued service
23    under this subdivision (3), the teacher shall provide
24    official copies of his or her 2 most recent overall annual
25    or biennial evaluations from the prior school district or
26    program to the new school district or program within 60

 

 

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1    days from the teacher's first day of service with the new
2    school district or program. The prior school district or
3    program must provide the teacher with official copies of
4    his or her 2 most recent overall annual or biennial
5    evaluations within 14 days after the teacher's request. If
6    a teacher has requested such official copies prior to 45
7    days after the teacher's first day of service with the new
8    school district or program and the teacher's prior school
9    district or program fails to provide the teacher with the
10    official copies required under this subdivision (3), then
11    the time period for the teacher to submit the official
12    copies to his or her new school district or program must be
13    extended until 14 days after receipt of such copies from
14    the prior school district or program. If the prior school
15    district or program fails to provide the teacher with the
16    official copies required under this subdivision (3) within
17    90 days from the teacher's first day of service with the
18    new school district or program, then the new school
19    district or program shall rely upon the teacher's own
20    copies of his or her evaluations for purposes of this
21    subdivision (3).
22    If the teacher does not receive overall annual evaluations
23of "Excellent" in the school terms necessary for eligibility
24to achieve accelerated contractual continued service in
25subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection (d), the teacher
26shall be eligible for contractual continued service pursuant

 

 

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1to subdivision (1) of this subsection (d). If, at the
2conclusion of 3 consecutive school terms of service that count
3toward attainment of contractual continued service, the
4teacher's performance does not qualify the teacher for
5contractual continued service under subdivision (1) of this
6subsection (d), then the teacher shall not enter upon
7contractual continued service and shall be dismissed. If a
8performance evaluation is not conducted for any school term
9when such evaluation is required to be conducted under Section
1024A-5 of this Code, then the teacher's performance evaluation
11rating for such school term for purposes of determining the
12attainment of contractual continued service shall be deemed
13"Proficient", except that, during any time in which the
14Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health
15emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency
16Management Agency Act, this default to "Proficient" does not
17apply to any teacher who has entered into contractual
18continued service and who was deemed "Excellent" on his or her
19most recent evaluation. During any time in which the Governor
20has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency
21pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management
22Agency Act and unless the school board and any exclusive
23bargaining representative have completed the performance
24rating for teachers or mutually agreed to an alternate
25performance rating, any teacher who has entered into
26contractual continued service, whose most recent evaluation

 

 

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1was deemed "Excellent", and whose performance evaluation is
2not conducted when the evaluation is required to be conducted
3shall receive a teacher's performance rating deemed
4"Excellent". A school board and any exclusive bargaining
5representative may mutually agree to an alternate performance
6rating for teachers not in contractual continued service
7during any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster
8due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the
9Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, as long as the
10agreement is in writing.
11    (e) For the purposes of determining contractual continued
12service, a school term shall be counted only toward attainment
13of contractual continued service if the teacher actually
14teaches or is otherwise present and participating in the
15district's or program's educational program for 120 days or
16more, provided that the days of leave under the federal Family
17Medical Leave Act that the teacher is required to take until
18the end of the school term shall be considered days of teaching
19or participation in the district's or program's educational
20program. A school term that is not counted toward attainment
21of contractual continued service shall not be considered a
22break in service for purposes of determining whether a teacher
23has been employed for 4 consecutive school terms, provided
24that the teacher actually teaches or is otherwise present and
25participating in the district's or program's educational
26program in the following school term.

 

 

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1    (f) If the employing board determines to dismiss the
2teacher in the last year of the probationary period as
3provided in subsection (c) of this Section or subdivision (1)
4or (2) of subsection (d) of this Section or subdivision (1) or
5(2) of subsection (d-5) of this Section, but not subdivision
6(3) of subsection (d) of this Section or subdivision (3) of
7subsection (d-5) of this Section, the written notice of
8dismissal provided by the employing board must contain
9specific reasons for dismissal. Any full-time teacher who does
10not receive written notice from the employing board on or
11before April 15 at least 45 days before the end of any school
12term as provided in this Section and whose performance does
13not require dismissal after the fourth probationary year
14pursuant to subsection (d) of this Section or the third
15probationary year pursuant to subsection (d-5) of this Section
16shall be re-employed for the following school term.
17    (g) Contractual continued service shall continue in effect
18the terms and provisions of the contract with the teacher
19during the last school term of the probationary period,
20subject to this Act and the lawful regulations of the
21employing board. This Section and succeeding Sections do not
22modify any existing power of the board except with respect to
23the procedure of the discharge of a teacher and reductions in
24salary as hereinafter provided. Contractual continued service
25status shall not restrict the power of the board to transfer a
26teacher to a position which the teacher is qualified to fill or

 

 

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1to make such salary adjustments as it deems desirable, but
2unless reductions in salary are uniform or based upon some
3reasonable classification, any teacher whose salary is reduced
4shall be entitled to a notice and a hearing as hereinafter
5provided in the case of certain dismissals or removals.
6    (h) If, by reason of any change in the boundaries of school
7districts, by reason of a special education cooperative
8reorganization or dissolution in accordance with Section
910-22.31 of this Code, or by reason of the creation of a new
10school district, the position held by any teacher having a
11contractual continued service status is transferred from one
12board to the control of a new or different board, then the
13contractual continued service status of the teacher is not
14thereby lost, and such new or different board is subject to
15this Code with respect to the teacher in the same manner as if
16the teacher were its employee and had been its employee during
17the time the teacher was actually employed by the board from
18whose control the position was transferred.
19    (i) The employment of any teacher in a program of a special
20education joint agreement established under Section 3-15.14,
2110-22.31 or 10-22.31a shall be governed by this and succeeding
22Sections of this Article. For purposes of attaining and
23maintaining contractual continued service and computing length
24of continuing service as referred to in this Section and
25Section 24-12, employment in a special educational joint
26program shall be deemed a continuation of all previous

 

 

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1licensed employment of such teacher for such joint agreement
2whether the employer of the teacher was the joint agreement,
3the regional superintendent, or one of the participating
4districts in the joint agreement.
5    (j) For any teacher employed after July 1, 1987 as a
6full-time teacher in a program of a special education joint
7agreement, whether the program is operated by the joint
8agreement or a member district on behalf of the joint
9agreement, in the event of a reduction in the number of
10programs or positions in the joint agreement in which the
11notice of dismissal is provided on or before the end of the
122010-2011 school term, the teacher in contractual continued
13service is eligible for employment in the joint agreement
14programs for which the teacher is legally qualified in order
15of greater length of continuing service in the joint
16agreement, unless an alternative method of determining the
17sequence of dismissal is established in a collective
18bargaining agreement. For any teacher employed after July 1,
191987 as a full-time teacher in a program of a special education
20joint agreement, whether the program is operated by the joint
21agreement or a member district on behalf of the joint
22agreement, in the event of a reduction in the number of
23programs or positions in the joint agreement in which the
24notice of dismissal is provided during the 2011-2012 school
25term or a subsequent school term, the teacher shall be
26included on the honorable dismissal lists of all joint

 

 

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1agreement programs for positions for which the teacher is
2qualified and is eligible for employment in such programs in
3accordance with subsections (b) and (c) of Section 24-12 of
4this Code and the applicable honorable dismissal policies of
5the joint agreement.
6    (k) For any teacher employed after July 1, 1987 as a
7full-time teacher in a program of a special education joint
8agreement, whether the program is operated by the joint
9agreement or a member district on behalf of the joint
10agreement, in the event of the dissolution of a joint
11agreement, in which the notice to teachers of the dissolution
12is provided during the 2010-2011 school term, the teacher in
13contractual continued service who is legally qualified shall
14be assigned to any comparable position in a member district
15currently held by a teacher who has not entered upon
16contractual continued service or held by a teacher who has
17entered upon contractual continued service with a shorter
18length of contractual continued service. Any teacher employed
19after July 1, 1987 as a full-time teacher in a program of a
20special education joint agreement, whether the program is
21operated by the joint agreement or a member district on behalf
22of the joint agreement, in the event of the dissolution of a
23joint agreement in which the notice to teachers of the
24dissolution is provided during the 2011-2012 school term or a
25subsequent school term, the teacher who is qualified shall be
26included on the order of honorable dismissal lists of each

 

 

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1member district and shall be assigned to any comparable
2position in any such district in accordance with subsections
3(b) and (c) of Section 24-12 of this Code and the applicable
4honorable dismissal policies of each member district.
5    (l) The governing board of the joint agreement, or the
6administrative district, if so authorized by the articles of
7agreement of the joint agreement, rather than the board of
8education of a school district, may carry out employment and
9termination actions including dismissals under this Section
10and Section 24-12.
11    (m) The employment of any teacher in a special education
12program authorized by Section 14-1.01 through 14-14.01, or a
13joint educational program established under Section 10-22.31a,
14shall be under this and the succeeding Sections of this
15Article, and such employment shall be deemed a continuation of
16the previous employment of such teacher in any of the
17participating districts, regardless of the participation of
18other districts in the program.
19    (n) Any teacher employed as a full-time teacher in a
20special education program prior to September 23, 1987 in which
212 or more school districts participate for a probationary
22period of 2 consecutive years shall enter upon contractual
23continued service in each of the participating districts,
24subject to this and the succeeding Sections of this Article,
25and, notwithstanding Section 24-1.5 of this Code, in the event
26of the termination of the program shall be eligible for any

 

 

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1vacant position in any of such districts for which such
2teacher is qualified.
3(Source: P.A. 101-643, eff. 6-18-20; 102-552, eff. 1-1-22;
4102-854, eff. 5-13-22.)
 
5    (105 ILCS 5/24-12)  (from Ch. 122, par. 24-12)
6    Sec. 24-12. Removal or dismissal of teachers in
7contractual continued service.
8    (a) This subsection (a) applies only to honorable
9dismissals and recalls in which the notice of dismissal is
10provided on or before the end of the 2010-2011 school term. If
11a teacher in contractual continued service is removed or
12dismissed as a result of a decision of the board to decrease
13the number of teachers employed by the board or to discontinue
14some particular type of teaching service, written notice shall
15be mailed to the teacher and also given the teacher either by
16certified mail, return receipt requested or personal delivery
17with receipt at least 60 days before the end of the school
18term, together with a statement of honorable dismissal and the
19reason therefor, and in all such cases the board shall first
20remove or dismiss all teachers who have not entered upon
21contractual continued service before removing or dismissing
22any teacher who has entered upon contractual continued service
23and who is legally qualified to hold a position currently held
24by a teacher who has not entered upon contractual continued
25service.

 

 

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1    As between teachers who have entered upon contractual
2continued service, the teacher or teachers with the shorter
3length of continuing service with the district shall be
4dismissed first unless an alternative method of determining
5the sequence of dismissal is established in a collective
6bargaining agreement or contract between the board and a
7professional faculty members' organization and except that
8this provision shall not impair the operation of any
9affirmative action program in the district, regardless of
10whether it exists by operation of law or is conducted on a
11voluntary basis by the board. Any teacher dismissed as a
12result of such decrease or discontinuance shall be paid all
13earned compensation on or before the third business day
14following the last day of pupil attendance in the regular
15school term.
16    If the board has any vacancies for the following school
17term or within one calendar year from the beginning of the
18following school term, the positions thereby becoming
19available shall be tendered to the teachers so removed or
20dismissed so far as they are legally qualified to hold such
21positions; provided, however, that if the number of honorable
22dismissal notices based on economic necessity exceeds 15% of
23the number of full-time equivalent positions filled by
24certified employees (excluding principals and administrative
25personnel) during the preceding school year, then if the board
26has any vacancies for the following school term or within 2

 

 

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1calendar years from the beginning of the following school
2term, the positions so becoming available shall be tendered to
3the teachers who were so notified and removed or dismissed
4whenever they are legally qualified to hold such positions.
5Each board shall, in consultation with any exclusive employee
6representatives, each year establish a list, categorized by
7positions, showing the length of continuing service of each
8teacher who is qualified to hold any such positions, unless an
9alternative method of determining a sequence of dismissal is
10established as provided for in this Section, in which case a
11list shall be made in accordance with the alternative method.
12Copies of the list shall be distributed to the exclusive
13employee representative on or before February 1 of each year.
14Whenever the number of honorable dismissal notices based upon
15economic necessity exceeds 5, or 150% of the average number of
16teachers honorably dismissed in the preceding 3 years,
17whichever is more, then the board also shall hold a public
18hearing on the question of the dismissals. Following the
19hearing and board review, the action to approve any such
20reduction shall require a majority vote of the board members.
21    (b) This subsection (b) applies only to honorable
22dismissals and recalls in which the notice of dismissal is
23provided during the 2011-2012 school term or a subsequent
24school term. If any teacher, whether or not in contractual
25continued service, is removed or dismissed as a result of a
26decision of a school board to decrease the number of teachers

 

 

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1employed by the board, a decision of a school board to
2discontinue some particular type of teaching service, or a
3reduction in the number of programs or positions in a special
4education joint agreement, then written notice must be mailed
5to the teacher and also given to the teacher either by
6electronic mail, certified mail, return receipt requested, or
7personal delivery with receipt on or before April 15 at least
845 days before the end of the school term, together with a
9statement of honorable dismissal and the reason therefor, and
10in all such cases the sequence of dismissal shall occur in
11accordance with this subsection (b); except that this
12subsection (b) shall not impair the operation of any
13affirmative action program in the school district, regardless
14of whether it exists by operation of law or is conducted on a
15voluntary basis by the board.
16    Each teacher must be categorized into one or more
17positions for which the teacher is qualified to hold, based
18upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications
19established in a district or joint agreement job description,
20on or before the May 10 prior to the school year during which
21the sequence of dismissal is determined. Within each position
22and subject to agreements made by the joint committee on
23honorable dismissals that are authorized by subsection (c) of
24this Section, the school district or joint agreement must
25establish 4 groupings of teachers qualified to hold the
26position as follows:

 

 

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1        (1) Grouping one shall consist of each teacher who is
2    not in contractual continued service and who (i) has not
3    received a performance evaluation rating, (ii) is employed
4    for one school term or less to replace a teacher on leave,
5    or (iii) is employed on a part-time basis. "Part-time
6    basis" for the purposes of this subsection (b) means a
7    teacher who is employed to teach less than a full-day,
8    teacher workload or less than 5 days of the normal student
9    attendance week, unless otherwise provided for in a
10    collective bargaining agreement between the district and
11    the exclusive representative of the district's teachers.
12    For the purposes of this Section, a teacher (A) who is
13    employed as a full-time teacher but who actually teaches
14    or is otherwise present and participating in the
15    district's educational program for less than a school term
16    or (B) who, in the immediately previous school term, was
17    employed on a full-time basis and actually taught or was
18    otherwise present and participated in the district's
19    educational program for 120 days or more is not considered
20    employed on a part-time basis.
21        (2) Grouping 2 shall consist of each teacher with a
22    Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory performance evaluation
23    rating on either of the teacher's last 2 performance
24    evaluation ratings.
25        (3) Grouping 3 shall consist of each teacher with a
26    performance evaluation rating of at least Satisfactory or

 

 

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1    Proficient on both of the teacher's last 2 performance
2    evaluation ratings, if 2 ratings are available, or on the
3    teacher's last performance evaluation rating, if only one
4    rating is available, unless the teacher qualifies for
5    placement into grouping 4.
6        (4) Grouping 4 shall consist of each teacher whose
7    last 2 performance evaluation ratings are Excellent and
8    each teacher with 2 Excellent performance evaluation
9    ratings out of the teacher's last 3 performance evaluation
10    ratings with a third rating of Satisfactory or Proficient.
11    Among teachers qualified to hold a position, teachers must
12be dismissed in the order of their groupings, with teachers in
13grouping one dismissed first and teachers in grouping 4
14dismissed last.
15    Within grouping one, the sequence of dismissal must be at
16the discretion of the school district or joint agreement.
17Within grouping 2, the sequence of dismissal must be based
18upon average performance evaluation ratings, with the teacher
19or teachers with the lowest average performance evaluation
20rating dismissed first. A teacher's average performance
21evaluation rating must be calculated using the average of the
22teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, if 2 ratings
23are available, or the teacher's last performance evaluation
24rating, if only one rating is available, using the following
25numerical values: 4 for Excellent; 3 for Proficient or
26Satisfactory; 2 for Needs Improvement; and 1 for

 

 

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1Unsatisfactory. As between or among teachers in grouping 2
2with the same average performance evaluation rating and within
3each of groupings 3 and 4, the teacher or teachers with the
4shorter length of continuing service with the school district
5or joint agreement must be dismissed first unless an
6alternative method of determining the sequence of dismissal is
7established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract
8between the board and a professional faculty members'
9organization.
10    Each board, including the governing board of a joint
11agreement, shall, in consultation with any exclusive employee
12representatives, each year establish a sequence of honorable
13dismissal list categorized by positions and the groupings
14defined in this subsection (b). Copies of the list showing
15each teacher by name and categorized by positions and the
16groupings defined in this subsection (b) must be distributed
17to the exclusive bargaining representative at least 75 days
18before the end of the school term, provided that the school
19district or joint agreement may, with notice to any exclusive
20employee representatives, move teachers from grouping one into
21another grouping during the period of time from 75 days until
22April 15 45 days before the end of the school term. Each year,
23each board shall also establish, in consultation with any
24exclusive employee representatives, a list showing the length
25of continuing service of each teacher who is qualified to hold
26any such positions, unless an alternative method of

 

 

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1determining a sequence of dismissal is established as provided
2for in this Section, in which case a list must be made in
3accordance with the alternative method. Copies of the list
4must be distributed to the exclusive employee representative
5at least 75 days before the end of the school term.
6    Any teacher dismissed as a result of such decrease or
7discontinuance must be paid all earned compensation on or
8before the third business day following the last day of pupil
9attendance in the regular school term.
10    If the board or joint agreement has any vacancies for the
11following school term or within one calendar year from the
12beginning of the following school term, the positions thereby
13becoming available must be tendered to the teachers so removed
14or dismissed who were in grouping 3 or 4 of the sequence of
15dismissal and are qualified to hold the positions, based upon
16legal qualifications and any other qualifications established
17in a district or joint agreement job description, on or before
18the May 10 prior to the date of the positions becoming
19available, provided that if the number of honorable dismissal
20notices based on economic necessity exceeds 15% of the number
21of full-time equivalent positions filled by certified
22employees (excluding principals and administrative personnel)
23during the preceding school year, then the recall period is
24for the following school term or within 2 calendar years from
25the beginning of the following school term. If the board or
26joint agreement has any vacancies within the period from the

 

 

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1beginning of the following school term through February 1 of
2the following school term (unless a date later than February
31, but no later than 6 months from the beginning of the
4following school term, is established in a collective
5bargaining agreement), the positions thereby becoming
6available must be tendered to the teachers so removed or
7dismissed who were in grouping 2 of the sequence of dismissal
8due to one "needs improvement" rating on either of the
9teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, provided
10that, if 2 ratings are available, the other performance
11evaluation rating used for grouping purposes is
12"satisfactory", "proficient", or "excellent", and are
13qualified to hold the positions, based upon legal
14qualifications and any other qualifications established in a
15district or joint agreement job description, on or before the
16May 10 prior to the date of the positions becoming available.
17On and after July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act
1898-648), the preceding sentence shall apply to teachers
19removed or dismissed by honorable dismissal, even if notice of
20honorable dismissal occurred during the 2013-2014 school year.
21Among teachers eligible for recall pursuant to the preceding
22sentence, the order of recall must be in inverse order of
23dismissal, unless an alternative order of recall is
24established in a collective bargaining agreement or contract
25between the board and a professional faculty members'
26organization. Whenever the number of honorable dismissal

 

 

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1notices based upon economic necessity exceeds 5 notices or
2150% of the average number of teachers honorably dismissed in
3the preceding 3 years, whichever is more, then the school
4board or governing board of a joint agreement, as applicable,
5shall also hold a public hearing on the question of the
6dismissals. Following the hearing and board review, the action
7to approve any such reduction shall require a majority vote of
8the board members.
9    For purposes of this subsection (b), subject to agreement
10on an alternative definition reached by the joint committee
11described in subsection (c) of this Section, a teacher's
12performance evaluation rating means the overall performance
13evaluation rating resulting from an annual or biennial
14performance evaluation conducted pursuant to Article 24A of
15this Code by the school district or joint agreement
16determining the sequence of dismissal, not including any
17performance evaluation conducted during or at the end of a
18remediation period. No more than one evaluation rating each
19school term shall be one of the evaluation ratings used for the
20purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. Except as
21otherwise provided in this subsection for any performance
22evaluations conducted during or at the end of a remediation
23period, if multiple performance evaluations are conducted in a
24school term, only the rating from the last evaluation
25conducted prior to establishing the sequence of honorable
26dismissal list in such school term shall be the one evaluation

 

 

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1rating from that school term used for the purpose of
2determining the sequence of dismissal. Averaging ratings from
3multiple evaluations is not permitted unless otherwise agreed
4to in a collective bargaining agreement or contract between
5the board and a professional faculty members' organization.
6The preceding 3 sentences are not a legislative declaration
7that existing law does or does not already require that only
8one performance evaluation each school term shall be used for
9the purpose of determining the sequence of dismissal. For
10performance evaluation ratings determined prior to September
111, 2012, any school district or joint agreement with a
12performance evaluation rating system that does not use either
13of the rating category systems specified in subsection (d) of
14Section 24A-5 of this Code for all teachers must establish a
15basis for assigning each teacher a rating that complies with
16subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code for all of the
17performance evaluation ratings that are to be used to
18determine the sequence of dismissal. A teacher's grouping and
19ranking on a sequence of honorable dismissal shall be deemed a
20part of the teacher's performance evaluation, and that
21information shall be disclosed to the exclusive bargaining
22representative as part of a sequence of honorable dismissal
23list, notwithstanding any laws prohibiting disclosure of such
24information. A performance evaluation rating may be used to
25determine the sequence of dismissal, notwithstanding the
26pendency of any grievance resolution or arbitration procedures

 

 

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1relating to the performance evaluation. If a teacher has
2received at least one performance evaluation rating conducted
3by the school district or joint agreement determining the
4sequence of dismissal and a subsequent performance evaluation
5is not conducted in any school year in which such evaluation is
6required to be conducted under Section 24A-5 of this Code, the
7teacher's performance evaluation rating for that school year
8for purposes of determining the sequence of dismissal is
9deemed Proficient, except that, during any time in which the
10Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health
11emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency
12Management Agency Act, this default to Proficient does not
13apply to any teacher who has entered into contractual
14continued service and who was deemed Excellent on his or her
15most recent evaluation. During any time in which the Governor
16has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency
17pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management
18Agency Act and unless the school board and any exclusive
19bargaining representative have completed the performance
20rating for teachers or have mutually agreed to an alternate
21performance rating, any teacher who has entered into
22contractual continued service, whose most recent evaluation
23was deemed Excellent, and whose performance evaluation is not
24conducted when the evaluation is required to be conducted
25shall receive a teacher's performance rating deemed Excellent.
26A school board and any exclusive bargaining representative may

 

 

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1mutually agree to an alternate performance rating for teachers
2not in contractual continued service during any time in which
3the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health
4emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency
5Management Agency Act, as long as the agreement is in writing.
6If a performance evaluation rating is nullified as the result
7of an arbitration, administrative agency, or court
8determination, then the school district or joint agreement is
9deemed to have conducted a performance evaluation for that
10school year, but the performance evaluation rating may not be
11used in determining the sequence of dismissal.
12    Nothing in this subsection (b) shall be construed as
13limiting the right of a school board or governing board of a
14joint agreement to dismiss a teacher not in contractual
15continued service in accordance with Section 24-11 of this
16Code.
17    Any provisions regarding the sequence of honorable
18dismissals and recall of honorably dismissed teachers in a
19collective bargaining agreement entered into on or before
20January 1, 2011 and in effect on June 13, 2011 (the effective
21date of Public Act 97-8) that may conflict with Public Act 97-8
22shall remain in effect through the expiration of such
23agreement or June 30, 2013, whichever is earlier.
24    (c) Each school district and special education joint
25agreement must use a joint committee composed of equal
26representation selected by the school board and its teachers

 

 

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1or, if applicable, the exclusive bargaining representative of
2its teachers, to address the matters described in paragraphs
3(1) through (5) of this subsection (c) pertaining to honorable
4dismissals under subsection (b) of this Section.
5        (1) The joint committee must consider and may agree to
6    criteria for excluding from grouping 2 and placing into
7    grouping 3 a teacher whose last 2 performance evaluations
8    include a Needs Improvement and either a Proficient or
9    Excellent.
10        (2) The joint committee must consider and may agree to
11    an alternative definition for grouping 4, which definition
12    must take into account prior performance evaluation
13    ratings and may take into account other factors that
14    relate to the school district's or program's educational
15    objectives. An alternative definition for grouping 4 may
16    not permit the inclusion of a teacher in the grouping with
17    a Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory performance
18    evaluation rating on either of the teacher's last 2
19    performance evaluation ratings.
20        (3) The joint committee may agree to including within
21    the definition of a performance evaluation rating a
22    performance evaluation rating administered by a school
23    district or joint agreement other than the school district
24    or joint agreement determining the sequence of dismissal.
25        (4) For each school district or joint agreement that
26    administers performance evaluation ratings that are

 

 

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1    inconsistent with either of the rating category systems
2    specified in subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this Code,
3    the school district or joint agreement must consult with
4    the joint committee on the basis for assigning a rating
5    that complies with subsection (d) of Section 24A-5 of this
6    Code to each performance evaluation rating that will be
7    used in a sequence of dismissal.
8        (5) Upon request by a joint committee member submitted
9    to the employing board by no later than 10 days after the
10    distribution of the sequence of honorable dismissal list,
11    a representative of the employing board shall, within 5
12    days after the request, provide to members of the joint
13    committee a list showing the most recent and prior
14    performance evaluation ratings of each teacher identified
15    only by length of continuing service in the district or
16    joint agreement and not by name. If, after review of this
17    list, a member of the joint committee has a good faith
18    belief that a disproportionate number of teachers with
19    greater length of continuing service with the district or
20    joint agreement have received a recent performance
21    evaluation rating lower than the prior rating, the member
22    may request that the joint committee review the list to
23    assess whether such a trend may exist. Following the joint
24    committee's review, but by no later than the end of the
25    applicable school term, the joint committee or any member
26    or members of the joint committee may submit a report of

 

 

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1    the review to the employing board and exclusive bargaining
2    representative, if any. Nothing in this paragraph (5)
3    shall impact the order of honorable dismissal or a school
4    district's or joint agreement's authority to carry out a
5    dismissal in accordance with subsection (b) of this
6    Section.
7    Agreement by the joint committee as to a matter requires
8the majority vote of all committee members, and if the joint
9committee does not reach agreement on a matter, then the
10otherwise applicable requirements of subsection (b) of this
11Section shall apply. Except as explicitly set forth in this
12subsection (c), a joint committee has no authority to agree to
13any further modifications to the requirements for honorable
14dismissals set forth in subsection (b) of this Section. The
15joint committee must be established, and the first meeting of
16the joint committee each school year must occur on or before
17December 1.
18    The joint committee must reach agreement on a matter on or
19before February 1 of a school year in order for the agreement
20of the joint committee to apply to the sequence of dismissal
21determined during that school year. Subject to the February 1
22deadline for agreements, the agreement of a joint committee on
23a matter shall apply to the sequence of dismissal until the
24agreement is amended or terminated by the joint committee.
25    The provisions of the Open Meetings Act shall not apply to
26meetings of a joint committee created under this subsection

 

 

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1(c).
2    (d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this
3subsection (d), the requirements and dismissal procedures of
4Section 24-16.5 of this Code shall apply to any dismissal
5sought under Section 24-16.5 of this Code.
6        (1) If a dismissal of a teacher in contractual
7    continued service is sought for any reason or cause other
8    than an honorable dismissal under subsections (a) or (b)
9    of this Section or a dismissal sought under Section
10    24-16.5 of this Code, including those under Section
11    10-22.4, the board must first approve a motion containing
12    specific charges by a majority vote of all its members.
13    Written notice of such charges, including a bill of
14    particulars and the teacher's right to request a hearing,
15    must be mailed to the teacher and also given to the teacher
16    either by electronic mail, certified mail, return receipt
17    requested, or personal delivery with receipt within 5 days
18    of the adoption of the motion. Any written notice sent on
19    or after July 1, 2012 shall inform the teacher of the right
20    to request a hearing before a mutually selected hearing
21    officer, with the cost of the hearing officer split
22    equally between the teacher and the board, or a hearing
23    before a board-selected hearing officer, with the cost of
24    the hearing officer paid by the board.
25        Before setting a hearing on charges stemming from
26    causes that are considered remediable, a board must give

 

 

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1    the teacher reasonable warning in writing, stating
2    specifically the causes that, if not removed, may result
3    in charges; however, no such written warning is required
4    if the causes have been the subject of a remediation plan
5    pursuant to Article 24A of this Code.
6        If, in the opinion of the board, the interests of the
7    school require it, the board may suspend the teacher
8    without pay, pending the hearing, but if the board's
9    dismissal or removal is not sustained, the teacher shall
10    not suffer the loss of any salary or benefits by reason of
11    the suspension.
12        (2) No hearing upon the charges is required unless the
13    teacher within 17 days after receiving notice requests in
14    writing of the board that a hearing be scheduled before a
15    mutually selected hearing officer or a hearing officer
16    selected by the board. The secretary of the school board
17    shall forward a copy of the notice to the State Board of
18    Education.
19        (3) Within 5 business days after receiving a notice of
20    hearing in which either notice to the teacher was sent
21    before July 1, 2012 or, if the notice was sent on or after
22    July 1, 2012, the teacher has requested a hearing before a
23    mutually selected hearing officer, the State Board of
24    Education shall provide a list of 5 prospective, impartial
25    hearing officers from the master list of qualified,
26    impartial hearing officers maintained by the State Board

 

 

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1    of Education. Each person on the master list must (i) be
2    accredited by a national arbitration organization and have
3    had a minimum of 5 years of experience directly related to
4    labor and employment relations matters between employers
5    and employees or their exclusive bargaining
6    representatives and (ii) beginning September 1, 2012, have
7    participated in training provided or approved by the State
8    Board of Education for teacher dismissal hearing officers
9    so that he or she is familiar with issues generally
10    involved in evaluative and non-evaluative dismissals.
11        If notice to the teacher was sent before July 1, 2012
12    or, if the notice was sent on or after July 1, 2012, the
13    teacher has requested a hearing before a mutually selected
14    hearing officer, the board and the teacher or their legal
15    representatives within 3 business days shall alternately
16    strike one name from the list provided by the State Board
17    of Education until only one name remains. Unless waived by
18    the teacher, the teacher shall have the right to proceed
19    first with the striking. Within 3 business days of receipt
20    of the list provided by the State Board of Education, the
21    board and the teacher or their legal representatives shall
22    each have the right to reject all prospective hearing
23    officers named on the list and notify the State Board of
24    Education of such rejection. Within 3 business days after
25    receiving this notification, the State Board of Education
26    shall appoint a qualified person from the master list who

 

 

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1    did not appear on the list sent to the parties to serve as
2    the hearing officer, unless the parties notify it that
3    they have chosen to alternatively select a hearing officer
4    under paragraph (4) of this subsection (d).
5        If the teacher has requested a hearing before a
6    hearing officer selected by the board, the board shall
7    select one name from the master list of qualified
8    impartial hearing officers maintained by the State Board
9    of Education within 3 business days after receipt and
10    shall notify the State Board of Education of its
11    selection.
12        A hearing officer mutually selected by the parties,
13    selected by the board, or selected through an alternative
14    selection process under paragraph (4) of this subsection
15    (d) (A) must not be a resident of the school district, (B)
16    must be available to commence the hearing within 75 days
17    and conclude the hearing within 120 days after being
18    selected as the hearing officer, and (C) must issue a
19    decision as to whether the teacher must be dismissed and
20    give a copy of that decision to both the teacher and the
21    board within 30 days from the conclusion of the hearing or
22    closure of the record, whichever is later.
23        Any hearing convened during a public health emergency
24    pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management
25    Agency Act may be convened remotely. Any hearing officer
26    for a hearing convened during a public health emergency

 

 

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1    pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management
2    Agency Act may voluntarily withdraw from the hearing and
3    another hearing officer shall be selected or appointed
4    pursuant to this Section.
5        In this paragraph, "pre-hearing procedures" refers to
6    the pre-hearing procedures under Section 51.55 of Title 23
7    of the Illinois Administrative Code and "hearing" refers
8    to the hearing under Section 51.60 of Title 23 of the
9    Illinois Administrative Code. Any teacher who has been
10    charged with engaging in acts of corporal punishment,
11    physical abuse, grooming, or sexual misconduct and who
12    previously paused pre-hearing procedures or a hearing
13    pursuant to Public Act 101-643 must proceed with selection
14    of a hearing officer or hearing date, or both, within the
15    timeframes established by this paragraph (3) and
16    paragraphs (4) through (6) of this subsection (d), unless
17    the timeframes are mutually waived in writing by both
18    parties, and all timelines set forth in this Section in
19    cases concerning corporal punishment, physical abuse,
20    grooming, or sexual misconduct shall be reset to begin the
21    day after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
22    102nd General Assembly. Any teacher charged with engaging
23    in acts of corporal punishment, physical abuse, grooming,
24    or sexual misconduct on or after the effective date of
25    this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly may not
26    pause pre-hearing procedures or a hearing.

 

 

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1        (4) In the alternative to selecting a hearing officer
2    from the list received from the State Board of Education
3    or accepting the appointment of a hearing officer by the
4    State Board of Education or if the State Board of
5    Education cannot provide a list or appoint a hearing
6    officer that meets the foregoing requirements, the board
7    and the teacher or their legal representatives may
8    mutually agree to select an impartial hearing officer who
9    is not on the master list either by direct appointment by
10    the parties or by using procedures for the appointment of
11    an arbitrator established by the Federal Mediation and
12    Conciliation Service or the American Arbitration
13    Association. The parties shall notify the State Board of
14    Education of their intent to select a hearing officer
15    using an alternative procedure within 3 business days of
16    receipt of a list of prospective hearing officers provided
17    by the State Board of Education, notice of appointment of
18    a hearing officer by the State Board of Education, or
19    receipt of notice from the State Board of Education that
20    it cannot provide a list that meets the foregoing
21    requirements, whichever is later.
22        (5) If the notice of dismissal was sent to the teacher
23    before July 1, 2012, the fees and costs for the hearing
24    officer must be paid by the State Board of Education. If
25    the notice of dismissal was sent to the teacher on or after
26    July 1, 2012, the hearing officer's fees and costs must be

 

 

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1    paid as follows in this paragraph (5). The fees and
2    permissible costs for the hearing officer must be
3    determined by the State Board of Education. If the board
4    and the teacher or their legal representatives mutually
5    agree to select an impartial hearing officer who is not on
6    a list received from the State Board of Education, they
7    may agree to supplement the fees determined by the State
8    Board to the hearing officer, at a rate consistent with
9    the hearing officer's published professional fees. If the
10    hearing officer is mutually selected by the parties, then
11    the board and the teacher or their legal representatives
12    shall each pay 50% of the fees and costs and any
13    supplemental allowance to which they agree. If the hearing
14    officer is selected by the board, then the board shall pay
15    100% of the hearing officer's fees and costs. The fees and
16    costs must be paid to the hearing officer within 14 days
17    after the board and the teacher or their legal
18    representatives receive the hearing officer's decision set
19    forth in paragraph (7) of this subsection (d).
20        (6) The teacher is required to answer the bill of
21    particulars and aver affirmative matters in his or her
22    defense, and the time for initially doing so and the time
23    for updating such answer and defenses after pre-hearing
24    discovery must be set by the hearing officer. The State
25    Board of Education shall promulgate rules so that each
26    party has a fair opportunity to present its case and to

 

 

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1    ensure that the dismissal process proceeds in a fair and
2    expeditious manner. These rules shall address, without
3    limitation, discovery and hearing scheduling conferences;
4    the teacher's initial answer and affirmative defenses to
5    the bill of particulars and the updating of that
6    information after pre-hearing discovery; provision for
7    written interrogatories and requests for production of
8    documents; the requirement that each party initially
9    disclose to the other party and then update the disclosure
10    no later than 10 calendar days prior to the commencement
11    of the hearing, the names and addresses of persons who may
12    be called as witnesses at the hearing, a summary of the
13    facts or opinions each witness will testify to, and all
14    other documents and materials, including information
15    maintained electronically, relevant to its own as well as
16    the other party's case (the hearing officer may exclude
17    witnesses and exhibits not identified and shared, except
18    those offered in rebuttal for which the party could not
19    reasonably have anticipated prior to the hearing);
20    pre-hearing discovery and preparation, including provision
21    for written interrogatories and requests for production of
22    documents, provided that discovery depositions are
23    prohibited; the conduct of the hearing; the right of each
24    party to be represented by counsel, the offer of evidence
25    and witnesses and the cross-examination of witnesses; the
26    authority of the hearing officer to issue subpoenas and

 

 

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1    subpoenas duces tecum, provided that the hearing officer
2    may limit the number of witnesses to be subpoenaed on
3    behalf of each party to no more than 7; the length of
4    post-hearing briefs; and the form, length, and content of
5    hearing officers' decisions. The hearing officer shall
6    hold a hearing and render a final decision for dismissal
7    pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or shall report to the
8    school board findings of fact and a recommendation as to
9    whether or not the teacher must be dismissed for conduct.
10    The hearing officer shall commence the hearing within 75
11    days and conclude the hearing within 120 days after being
12    selected as the hearing officer, provided that the hearing
13    officer may modify these timelines upon the showing of
14    good cause or mutual agreement of the parties. Good cause
15    for the purpose of this subsection (d) shall mean the
16    illness or otherwise unavoidable emergency of the teacher,
17    district representative, their legal representatives, the
18    hearing officer, or an essential witness as indicated in
19    each party's pre-hearing submission. In a dismissal
20    hearing pursuant to Article 24A of this Code in which a
21    witness is a student or is under the age of 18, the hearing
22    officer must make accommodations for the witness, as
23    provided under paragraph (6.5) of this subsection. The
24    hearing officer shall consider and give weight to all of
25    the teacher's evaluations written pursuant to Article 24A
26    that are relevant to the issues in the hearing.

 

 

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1        Each party shall have no more than 3 days to present
2    its case, unless extended by the hearing officer to enable
3    a party to present adequate evidence and testimony,
4    including due to the other party's cross-examination of
5    the party's witnesses, for good cause or by mutual
6    agreement of the parties. The State Board of Education
7    shall define in rules the meaning of "day" for such
8    purposes. All testimony at the hearing shall be taken
9    under oath administered by the hearing officer. The
10    hearing officer shall cause a record of the proceedings to
11    be kept and shall employ a competent reporter to take
12    stenographic or stenotype notes of all the testimony. The
13    costs of the reporter's attendance and services at the
14    hearing shall be paid by the party or parties who are
15    responsible for paying the fees and costs of the hearing
16    officer. Either party desiring a transcript of the hearing
17    shall pay for the cost thereof. Any post-hearing briefs
18    must be submitted by the parties by no later than 21 days
19    after a party's receipt of the transcript of the hearing,
20    unless extended by the hearing officer for good cause or
21    by mutual agreement of the parties.
22        (6.5) In the case of charges involving sexual abuse or
23    severe physical abuse of a student or a person under the
24    age of 18, the hearing officer shall make alternative
25    hearing procedures to protect a witness who is a student
26    or who is under the age of 18 from being intimidated or

 

 

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1    traumatized. Alternative hearing procedures may include,
2    but are not limited to: (i) testimony made via a
3    telecommunication device in a location other than the
4    hearing room and outside the physical presence of the
5    teacher and other hearing participants, (ii) testimony
6    outside the physical presence of the teacher, or (iii)
7    non-public testimony. During a testimony described under
8    this subsection, each party must be permitted to ask a
9    witness who is a student or who is under 18 years of age
10    all relevant questions and follow-up questions. All
11    questions must exclude evidence of the witness' sexual
12    behavior or predisposition, unless the evidence is offered
13    to prove that someone other than the teacher subject to
14    the dismissal hearing engaged in the charge at issue.
15        (7) The hearing officer shall, within 30 days from the
16    conclusion of the hearing or closure of the record,
17    whichever is later, make a decision as to whether or not
18    the teacher shall be dismissed pursuant to Article 24A of
19    this Code or report to the school board findings of fact
20    and a recommendation as to whether or not the teacher
21    shall be dismissed for cause and shall give a copy of the
22    decision or findings of fact and recommendation to both
23    the teacher and the school board. If a hearing officer
24    fails without good cause, specifically provided in writing
25    to both parties and the State Board of Education, to
26    render a decision or findings of fact and recommendation

 

 

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1    within 30 days after the hearing is concluded or the
2    record is closed, whichever is later, the parties may
3    mutually agree to select a hearing officer pursuant to the
4    alternative procedure, as provided in this Section, to
5    rehear the charges heard by the hearing officer who failed
6    to render a decision or findings of fact and
7    recommendation or to review the record and render a
8    decision. If any hearing officer fails without good cause,
9    specifically provided in writing to both parties and the
10    State Board of Education, to render a decision or findings
11    of fact and recommendation within 30 days after the
12    hearing is concluded or the record is closed, whichever is
13    later, the hearing officer shall be removed from the
14    master list of hearing officers maintained by the State
15    Board of Education for not more than 24 months. The
16    parties and the State Board of Education may also take
17    such other actions as it deems appropriate, including
18    recovering, reducing, or withholding any fees paid or to
19    be paid to the hearing officer. If any hearing officer
20    repeats such failure, he or she must be permanently
21    removed from the master list maintained by the State Board
22    of Education and may not be selected by parties through
23    the alternative selection process under this paragraph (7)
24    or paragraph (4) of this subsection (d). The board shall
25    not lose jurisdiction to discharge a teacher if the
26    hearing officer fails to render a decision or findings of

 

 

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1    fact and recommendation within the time specified in this
2    Section. If the decision of the hearing officer for
3    dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or of the
4    school board for dismissal for cause is in favor of the
5    teacher, then the hearing officer or school board shall
6    order reinstatement to the same or substantially
7    equivalent position and shall determine the amount for
8    which the school board is liable, including, but not
9    limited to, loss of income and benefits.
10        (8) The school board, within 45 days after receipt of
11    the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation
12    as to whether (i) the conduct at issue occurred, (ii) the
13    conduct that did occur was remediable, and (iii) the
14    proposed dismissal should be sustained, shall issue a
15    written order as to whether the teacher must be retained
16    or dismissed for cause from its employ. The school board's
17    written order shall incorporate the hearing officer's
18    findings of fact, except that the school board may modify
19    or supplement the findings of fact if, in its opinion, the
20    findings of fact are against the manifest weight of the
21    evidence.
22        If the school board dismisses the teacher
23    notwithstanding the hearing officer's findings of fact and
24    recommendation, the school board shall make a conclusion
25    in its written order, giving its reasons therefor, and
26    such conclusion and reasons must be included in its

 

 

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1    written order. The failure of the school board to strictly
2    adhere to the timelines contained in this Section shall
3    not render it without jurisdiction to dismiss the teacher.
4    The school board shall not lose jurisdiction to discharge
5    the teacher for cause if the hearing officer fails to
6    render a recommendation within the time specified in this
7    Section. The decision of the school board is final, unless
8    reviewed as provided in paragraph (9) of this subsection
9    (d).
10        If the school board retains the teacher, the school
11    board shall enter a written order stating the amount of
12    back pay and lost benefits, less mitigation, to be paid to
13    the teacher, within 45 days after its retention order.
14    Should the teacher object to the amount of the back pay and
15    lost benefits or amount mitigated, the teacher shall give
16    written objections to the amount within 21 days. If the
17    parties fail to reach resolution within 7 days, the
18    dispute shall be referred to the hearing officer, who
19    shall consider the school board's written order and
20    teacher's written objection and determine the amount to
21    which the school board is liable. The costs of the hearing
22    officer's review and determination must be paid by the
23    board.
24        (9) The decision of the hearing officer pursuant to
25    Article 24A of this Code or of the school board's decision
26    to dismiss for cause is final unless reviewed as provided

 

 

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1    in Section 24-16 of this Code. If the school board's
2    decision to dismiss for cause is contrary to the hearing
3    officer's recommendation, the court on review shall give
4    consideration to the school board's decision and its
5    supplemental findings of fact, if applicable, and the
6    hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation in
7    making its decision. In the event such review is
8    instituted, the school board shall be responsible for
9    preparing and filing the record of proceedings, and such
10    costs associated therewith must be divided equally between
11    the parties.
12        (10) If a decision of the hearing officer for
13    dismissal pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or of the
14    school board for dismissal for cause is adjudicated upon
15    review or appeal in favor of the teacher, then the trial
16    court shall order reinstatement and shall remand the
17    matter to the school board with direction for entry of an
18    order setting the amount of back pay, lost benefits, and
19    costs, less mitigation. The teacher may challenge the
20    school board's order setting the amount of back pay, lost
21    benefits, and costs, less mitigation, through an expedited
22    arbitration procedure, with the costs of the arbitrator
23    borne by the school board.
24        Any teacher who is reinstated by any hearing or
25    adjudication brought under this Section shall be assigned
26    by the board to a position substantially similar to the

 

 

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1    one which that teacher held prior to that teacher's
2    suspension or dismissal.
3        (11) Subject to any later effective date referenced in
4    this Section for a specific aspect of the dismissal
5    process, the changes made by Public Act 97-8 shall apply
6    to dismissals instituted on or after September 1, 2011.
7    Any dismissal instituted prior to September 1, 2011 must
8    be carried out in accordance with the requirements of this
9    Section prior to amendment by Public Act 97-8.
10    (e) Nothing contained in Public Act 98-648 repeals,
11supersedes, invalidates, or nullifies final decisions in
12lawsuits pending on July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public
13Act 98-648) in Illinois courts involving the interpretation of
14Public Act 97-8.
15(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-531, eff. 8-23-19;
16101-643, eff. 6-18-20; 102-708, eff. 4-22-22.)
 
17    (105 ILCS 5/34-84)  (from Ch. 122, par. 34-84)
18    Sec. 34-84. Appointments and promotions of teachers.
19Appointments and promotions of teachers shall be made for
20merit only, and after satisfactory service for a probationary
21period of 3 years with respect to probationary employees
22employed as full-time teachers in the public school system of
23the district before January 1, 1998 or on or after July 1, 2023
24and 4 years with respect to probationary employees who are
25first employed as full-time teachers in the public school

 

 

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1system of the district on or after January 1, 1998 but before
2July 1, 2023, during which period the board may dismiss or
3discharge any such probationary employee upon the
4recommendation, accompanied by the written reasons therefor,
5of the general superintendent of schools and after which
6period appointments of teachers shall become permanent,
7subject to removal for cause in the manner provided by Section
834-85.
9    For a probationary-appointed teacher in full-time service
10who is appointed on or after July 1, 2013 and who receives
11ratings of "excellent" during his or her first 3 school terms
12of full-time service, the probationary period shall be 3
13school terms of full-time service. For a
14probationary-appointed teacher in full-time service who is
15appointed on or after July 1, 2013 and who had previously
16entered into contractual continued service in another school
17district in this State or a program of a special education
18joint agreement in this State, as defined in Section 24-11 of
19this Code, the probationary period shall be 2 school terms of
20full-time service, provided that (i) the teacher voluntarily
21resigned or was honorably dismissed from the prior district or
22program within the 3-month period preceding his or her
23appointment date, (ii) the teacher's last 2 ratings in the
24prior district or program were at least "proficient" and were
25issued after the prior district's or program's PERA
26implementation date, as defined in Section 24-11 of this Code,

 

 

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1and (iii) the teacher receives ratings of "excellent" during
2his or her first 2 school terms of full-time service.
3    For a probationary-appointed teacher in full-time service
4who is appointed on or after July 1, 2013 and who has not
5entered into contractual continued service after 2 or 3 school
6terms of full-time service as provided in this Section, the
7probationary period shall be 3 4 school terms of full-time
8service, provided that the teacher holds a Professional
9Educator License and receives a rating of at least
10"proficient" in the last school term and a rating of at least
11"proficient" in either the second or third school term.
12    As used in this Section, "school term" means the school
13term established by the board pursuant to Section 10-19 of
14this Code, and "full-time service" means the teacher has
15actually worked at least 150 days during the school term. As
16used in this Article, "teachers" means and includes all
17members of the teaching force excluding the general
18superintendent and principals.
19    There shall be no reduction in teachers because of a
20decrease in student membership or a change in subject
21requirements within the attendance center organization after
22the 20th day following the first day of the school year, except
23that: (1) this provision shall not apply to desegregation
24positions, special education positions, or any other positions
25funded by State or federal categorical funds, and (2) at
26attendance centers maintaining any of grades 9 through 12,

 

 

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1there may be a second reduction in teachers on the first day of
2the second semester of the regular school term because of a
3decrease in student membership or a change in subject
4requirements within the attendance center organization.
5    The school principal shall make the decision in selecting
6teachers to fill new and vacant positions consistent with
7Section 34-8.1.
8(Source: P.A. 97-8, eff. 6-13-11.)
 
9    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
102023.