Section 25.48  Short-Term Emergency Approval in Special Education

The short-term emergency approval shall be available until June 30, 2026. The provisions of this Section shall apply to school districts, special education cooperatives and joint agreements, regional superintendents of schools, nonpublic special education facilities approved by the State Board pursuant to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 401 (Special Education Facilities Under Section 14-7.02 of the Code), and certain other facilities pursuant to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 405 (Payments to Certain Facilities under Section 14-7.05 of the Code).

a)         An individual who wishes to receive a short-term emergency approval endorsed for LBS I shall:

1)         hold a valid PEL with an early childhood, elementary, middle grades, secondary, or special teaching endorsement or a valid educator license with stipulations endorsed for transitional bilingual educator;

2)         present evidence of having completed college-level coursework encompassing a "survey of exceptional children" as well as any one of the three other areas required pursuant to Section 25.43(e); and

3)         submit the required fee along with an application to the State Board, on a form designed by the State Superintendent.

4)         The employing entity shall provide the following:

A)        a statement of assurance that supervision will be provided by an individual who holds a PEL endorsed for special education supervision pursuant to Section 25.497 or administration plus an LBS I endorsement, which must include a description of the supervision the individual will receive.

B)        a statement of assurance that the employing entity has exhausted all recruitment efforts and has been unable to secure the services of an individual who is appropriately licensed for the teaching position in question.

b)         An individual who wishes to receive a short-term emergency approval endorsed for either early childhood special education, deaf or hard of hearing, or blind or visually impaired shall:

1)         hold a valid PEL with an early childhood, elementary, middle grades, secondary, or special teaching endorsement or hold a valid educator license with stipulations endorsed for transitional bilingual educator. If an individual is pursuing the early childhood special education approval, an endorsement in early childhood education or LBS I must be held;

2)         present evidence of having completed college-level coursework encompassing the following topics:

A)        for teaching students who are blind or visually impaired:

i)          anatomy and pathology of eye conditions;

ii)         functional vision assessment and learning media assessment;

iii)        basic assistive technology;

iv)        methodology in teaching students who are blind or visually impaired; and

v)         basic orientation and mobility;

B)        for teaching students who are deaf or hard of hearing:

i)          assessment and developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs);

ii)         language and literacy;

iii)        audiology;

iv)        impact of hearing loss on academic, behavior, speech, language, and aural habilitation skills; and

v)         methodology in teaching students who are deaf or hard of hearing;

C)        for teaching students in early childhood special education, two areas of coursework from the four areas required by 23 Ill. Adm. Code 226.810; 

3)         provide evidence, as defined by the State Superintendent, of proficiency in Braille (if teaching students who are blind or visually impaired) or sign language (if teaching students who are deaf or hard of hearing);

4)         submit the required fee, along with an application, to the State Board, on a form designed by the State Superintendent; and

5)         provide evidence of passing the required content tests pursuant to Section 25.720.

c)         For approvals specified under subsection (b), the employing entity shall provide the following to its ROE, which shall upload the information specified in this subsection on a form supplied by the State Superintendent into the ELIS account of the applicant prior the State Superintendent issuing the application:

1)         a statement of assurance that supervision will be provided by an individual who holds a PEL endorsed for director of special education that includes a description of the supervision the individual will receive;

2)         a statement of assurance that the employing entity has exhausted all recruitment efforts and has been unable to secure the services of an individual who is appropriately licensed for the teaching position in question; and

3)         verification of enrollment or intent to enroll in coursework required as part of a State-approved educator preparation program, signed by the applicant.

d)         The short-term approvals described in subsection (b) may be applied for until June 30, 2026.

e)         Approval of an individual's application shall be specific to the teaching assignment and employer described in the application but shall be transferrable to a new employer, provided that the conditions of subsection (a)(4) are met by the new employer.

f)         Upon approval of an application by the State Superintendent, the individual shall have three full fiscal years in which to complete the remaining coursework described in Section 25.43(b), (d), or (e) or in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 226.810, as applicable, and receive the endorsement under Section 25.43.

g)         The short-term emergency approval for a holder of an educator license with stipulations endorsed for transitional bilingual educator will not expire when the transitional bilingual educator endorsement expires; however, for the short-term approval to remain in effect, the holder must hold a valid PEL.

h)         The short-term emergency approval shall not be renewed.  An individual who does not obtain the endorsement identified in Section 25.43 within the time allotted shall not be assigned to a special education teaching position.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 5954, effective April 11, 2023)