Section 8000.40  In-Person and Virtual Course Instructor Approval

All in-person and virtual instructors must be approved by the Program Administrator prior to conducting an approved course.

a)         To be approved, an instructor must:

1)         have the Provider submit to the Program Administrator a completed application on a form prescribed by the Secretary.  The application shall certify that the instructor has successfully completed the Provider's instructor preparation course and has been approved by the Provider as an instructor of the approved course and shall certify that the instructor has experience in communication skills, working knowledge of curriculum topics, ability to organize material for presentation and ability to make accurate assessments of driving attitude and behavior;

2)         have held a valid driver's license for a period of at least two consecutive years immediately prior to the date of application.  A lapse in the renewal of the driver's license of 30 days or less shall not render the applicant ineligible. The Program Administrator has the discretion to grant a waiver for a lapse in the renewal of the driver's license in excess of 30 days. Factors to be considered by the Program Administrator when reviewing a request for waiver include, but are not limited to, the length of the driver's license lapse, number of sanctions or convictions, if any, on the driving record, and any extenuating circumstances that prevented the applicant from renewing in a timely manner. An instructor's driving privileges must not have been suspended or revoked for one or more traffic violations within the past seven years; or

3)         In-person and virtual instructors who hold a driver’s license from another state must submit a certified driving record from their home state, dated no more than 30 days prior to application, with their application form to the Program Administrator for approval.

b)         An in-person or virtual instructor's approval must be renewed every two years by having the Provider submit a completed application for approval to the Program Administrator.

(Source:  Amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 6651, effective April 11, 2022)