093_HB2296

 
                                     LRB093 07043 NHT 07195 b

 1        AN ACT concerning schools.

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

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

 6        (105 ILCS 5/21-1) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-1)
 7        Sec.  21-1.   Qualification  of  teachers.  No one may be
 8    certified to teach or supervise in the public schools of this
 9    State who is not of good character, good health, a citizen of
10    the United States  or  legally  present  and  authorized  for
11    employment, and at least 19 years of age.  If the holder of a
12    certificate under this Section is not a citizen of the United
13    States 6 years after the date of the issuance of the original
14    certificate, any certificate held by such person on that date
15    shall  be  cancelled  by  the board of education and no other
16    certificate to teach shall be issued  to  such  person  until
17    such person is a citizen of the United States.
18        Citizenship  is  not  required  for  the  issuance  of  a
19    temporary  part-time  certificate to participants in approved
20    training programs  for  exchange  students  as  described  in
21    Section  21-10.2.  A certificate issued under this plan shall
22    expire on June 30 following the date of issue.   One  renewal
23    for  one  year  is  authorized  if  the  holder remains as an
24    official participant in an approved exchange program.
25        In determining good character  under  this  Section,  any
26    felony   conviction  of  the  applicant  may  be  taken  into
27    consideration, but such a conviction shall not operate  as  a
28    bar to registration.
29        No  person  otherwise qualified shall be denied the right
30    to be certified, to  receive  training  for  the  purpose  of
31    becoming  a  teacher or to engage in practice teaching in any
 
                            -2-      LRB093 07043 NHT 07195 b
 1    school because of a physical  disability  including  but  not
 2    limited  to  visual  and  hearing disabilities; nor shall any
 3    school district refuse to employ a teacher on  such  grounds,
 4    provided  that  the person is able to carry out the duties of
 5    the position for which he applies.
 6        No person may be granted or continue to hold  a  teaching
 7    certificate  who  has knowingly altered or misrepresented his
 8    or her  teaching  qualifications  in  order  to  acquire  the
 9    certificate.   Any  other certificate held by such person may
10    be suspended or revoked by the  State  Teacher  Certification
11    Board,  depending  upon  the  severity  of  the alteration or
12    misrepresentation.
13        No one may teach or supervise in the public  schools  nor
14    receive  for  teaching  or supervising any part of any public
15    school fund, who does not hold a certificate of qualification
16    granted by the State Board  of  Education  or  by  the  State
17    Teacher  Certification Board and a regional superintendent of
18    schools as hereinafter provided, or by the board of education
19    of a city having a population exceeding  500,000  inhabitants
20    except as provided in Section 34-6 and in Section 10-22.34 or
21    Section  10-22.34b.  Beginning  July  1,  2004,  issuance  or
22    renewal  of  a  teaching  certificate  is contingent upon the
23    applicant  demonstrating  that  he  or  she   holds   current
24    certification   in  first  aid  and  CPR,  according  to  the
25    standards  of  the  American  Red   Cross,   American   Heart
26    Association,   or   other  nationally  recognized  certifying
27    organization.  The State Board of Education shall adopt rules
28    to provide for continuing education for certified teachers to
29    maintain their first aid and CPR qualifications. However, the
30    provisions of this Article do not apply to a  member  of  the
31    armed  forces who is employed as a teacher of subjects in the
32    Reserve Officer's Training Corps of  any  school.    Sections
33    21-2 through 21-24 do not apply to cities having a population
34    exceeding 500,000 inhabitants, until July 1, 1988.
 
                            -3-      LRB093 07043 NHT 07195 b
 1        Notwithstanding  any  other  provision  of  this Act, the
 2    board of education of any school  district  may  grant  to  a
 3    teacher  of the district a leave of absence with full pay for
 4    a period of not more than one year to permit such teacher  to
 5    teach in a foreign state under the provisions of the Exchange
 6    Teacher  Program  established  under  Public  Law  584,  79th
 7    Congress, and Public Law 402, 80th Congress, as amended.  The
 8    school  board  granting such leave of absence may employ with
 9    or without pay a national of the foreign  state  wherein  the
10    teacher  on  leave  of absence will teach, if the national is
11    qualified to  teach  in  that  foreign  state,  and  if  that
12    national will teach in a grade level similar to the one which
13    was  taught  in  such  foreign  state.  The  State  Board  of
14    Education  shall promulgate and enforce such reasonable rules
15    as may be necessary to effectuate this paragraph.
16    (Source: P.A.  88-189;  89-159,  eff.  1-1-96;  89-397,  eff.
17    8-20-95; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)