(105 ILCS 5/10-22.34) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.34)

Sec. 10-22.34. Nonlicensed personnel.

(a) School Boards may employ non-teaching personnel or utilize volunteer personnel for: (1) non-teaching duties not requiring instructional judgment or evaluation of pupils; and (2) supervising study halls, long distance teaching reception areas used incident to instructional programs transmitted by electronic media such as computers, video, and audio, and detention and discipline areas, and school-sponsored extracurricular activities.

(b) School boards may further utilize volunteer nonlicensed personnel or employ nonlicensed personnel to assist in the instruction of pupils under the immediate supervision of a teacher, holding a valid license, directly engaged in teaching subject matter or conducting activities. The teacher shall be continuously aware of the nonlicensed persons' activities and shall be able to control or modify them. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall determine qualifications of such personnel and shall prescribe rules for determining the duties and activities to be assigned to such personnel. In the determination of qualifications of such personnel, the State Board of Education shall accept coursework earned in a recognized institution or from an institution of higher learning accredited by the North Central Association or other comparable regional accrediting association and shall accept qualifications based on relevant life experiences as determined by the State Board of Education by rule.

(b-5) A school board may utilize volunteer personnel from a regional School Crisis Assistance Team (S.C.A.T.), created as part of the Safe to Learn Program established pursuant to Section 25 of the Illinois Violence Prevention Act of 1995, to provide assistance to schools in times of violence or other traumatic incidents within a school community by providing crisis intervention services to lessen the effects of emotional trauma on individuals and the community. The School Crisis Assistance Team Steering Committee shall determine the qualifications for volunteers.

(c) School boards may also employ students holding a bachelor's degree from a recognized institution of higher learning as teaching interns when such students are enrolled in a college or university internship program, which has prior approval by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, leading to a masters degree.

Regional offices of education have the authority to initiate and collaborate with institutions of higher learning to establish internship programs referenced in this subsection (c). The State Board of Education has 90 days from receiving a written proposal to establish the internship program to seek the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board's consultation on the internship program. If the State Board of Education does not consult the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board within 90 days, the regional office of education may seek the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board's consultation without the State Board of Education's approval.

(d) Nothing in this Section shall require constant supervision of a student teacher enrolled in a student teaching course at a college or university, provided such activity has the prior approval of the representative of the higher education institution and teaching plans have previously been discussed with and approved by the supervising teacher and further provided that such teaching is within guidelines established by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board.

(Source: P.A. 102-894, eff. 5-20-22.)