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92_HB4209
LRB9214879NTsb
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. However, the
18 State Superintendent of Education may extend this 6-year time
19 limit for a period of 2 years if the person certifies his or
20 her intention to become a United States citizen and furnishes
21 proof that he or she has filed an application for United
22 States citizenship. Upon the expiration of this extension
23 period, the State Superintendent of Education may grant an
24 additional extension of 2 years upon proof that the person's
25 application for citizenship is pending. If the person is not
26 a United States citizen by the end of this additional
27 extension period, any certificate held by that person at the
28 end of this period shall be cancelled by the board of
29 education and no other certificate may be issued until the
30 person furnishes proof that he or she is a United States
31 citizen.
-2- LRB9214879NTsb
1 Citizenship is not required for the issuance of a
2 temporary part-time certificate to participants in approved
3 training programs for exchange students as described in
4 Section 21-10.2. A certificate issued under this plan shall
5 expire on June 30 following the date of issue. One renewal
6 for one year is authorized if the holder remains as an
7 official participant in an approved exchange program.
8 In determining good character under this Section, any
9 felony conviction of the applicant may be taken into
10 consideration, but such a conviction shall not operate as a
11 bar to registration.
12 No person otherwise qualified shall be denied the right
13 to be certified, to receive training for the purpose of
14 becoming a teacher or to engage in practice teaching in any
15 school because of a physical disability including but not
16 limited to visual and hearing disabilities; nor shall any
17 school district refuse to employ a teacher on such grounds,
18 provided that the person is able to carry out the duties of
19 the position for which he applies.
20 No person may be granted or continue to hold a teaching
21 certificate who has knowingly altered or misrepresented his
22 or her teaching qualifications in order to acquire the
23 certificate. Any other certificate held by such person may
24 be suspended or revoked by the State Teacher Certification
25 Board, depending upon the severity of the alteration or
26 misrepresentation.
27 No one may teach or supervise in the public schools nor
28 receive for teaching or supervising any part of any public
29 school fund, who does not hold a certificate of qualification
30 granted by the State Board of Education or by the State
31 Teacher Certification Board and a regional superintendent of
32 schools as hereinafter provided, or by the board of education
33 of a city having a population exceeding 500,000 inhabitants
34 except as provided in Section 34-6 and in Section 10-22.34 or
-3- LRB9214879NTsb
1 Section 10-22.34b. However, the provisions of this Article do
2 not apply to a member of the armed forces who is employed as
3 a teacher of subjects in the Reserve Officer's Training Corps
4 of any school. Sections 21-2 through 21-24 do not apply to
5 cities having a population exceeding 500,000 inhabitants,
6 until July 1, 1988.
7 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the
8 board of education of any school district may grant to a
9 teacher of the district a leave of absence with full pay for
10 a period of not more than one year to permit such teacher to
11 teach in a foreign state under the provisions of the Exchange
12 Teacher Program established under Public Law 584, 79th
13 Congress, and Public Law 402, 80th Congress, as amended. The
14 school board granting such leave of absence may employ with
15 or without pay a national of the foreign state wherein the
16 teacher on leave of absence will teach, if the national is
17 qualified to teach in that foreign state, and if that
18 national will teach in a grade level similar to the one which
19 was taught in such foreign state. The State Board of
20 Education shall promulgate and enforce such reasonable rules
21 as may be necessary to effectuate this paragraph.
22 (Source: P.A. 88-189; 89-159, eff. 1-1-96; 89-397, eff.
23 8-20-95; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)