SB0859eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0859 Engrossed LRB094 04502 NHT 34531 b

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 21-23 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/21-23) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-23)

Sec. 21-23. Suspension or revocation of certificate.

(a) Any certificate issued pursuant to this Article, including but not limited to any administrative certificate or endorsement, may be suspended for a period not to exceed one calendar year by the regional superintendent or for a period not to exceed 5 calendar years by the State Superintendent of Education upon evidence of immorality, a condition of health detrimental to the welfare of pupils, incompetency, unprofessional conduct (which includes the failure to disclose on an employment application any previous conviction for a sex offense, as defined in Section 21-23a of this Code, or any other offense committed in any other state or against the laws of the United States that, if committed in this State, would be punishable as a sex offense, as defined in Section 21-23a of this Code), the neglect of any professional duty, willful failure to report an instance of suspected child abuse or neglect as required by the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, failure to establish satisfactory repayment on an educational loan guaranteed by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, or other just cause. Unprofessional conduct shall include refusal to attend or participate in, institutes, teachers' meetings, professional readings, or to meet other reasonable requirements of the regional superintendent or State Superintendent of Education. Unprofessional conduct also includes conduct that violates the standards, ethics, or rules applicable to the security, administration, monitoring, or scoring of, or the reporting of scores from, any assessment test or the Prairie State Achievement Examination administered under Section 2-3.64 or that is known or intended to produce or report manipulated or artificial, rather than actual, assessment or achievement results or gains from the administration of those tests or examinations. It shall also include neglect or unnecessary delay in making of statistical and other reports required by school officers. The regional superintendent or State Superintendent of Education shall upon receipt of evidence of immorality, a condition of health detrimental to the welfare of pupils, incompetency, unprofessional conduct, the neglect of any professional duty or other just cause serve written notice to the individual and afford the individual opportunity for a hearing prior to suspension. Prior to the hearing, however, the individual may be suspended from his or her duties if it is deemed necessary for the safety of students. If a hearing is requested within 10 days of notice of opportunity for hearing it shall act as a stay of proceedings not to exceed 30 days, unless the individual requests a delay. In such an instance, the stay of proceedings must be continued for another 30 days. No certificate shall be suspended until the teacher has an opportunity for a hearing at the educational service region. When a certificate is suspended, the right of appeal shall lie to the State Teacher Certification Board. When an appeal is taken within 10 days after notice of suspension it shall act as a stay of proceedings not to exceed 120 days. If a certificate is suspended for a period greater than one year, the State Superintendent of Education shall review the suspension prior to the expiration of that period to determine whether the cause for the suspension has been remedied or continues to exist. Upon determining that the cause for suspension has not abated, the State Superintendent of Education may order that the suspension be continued for an appropriate period. Nothing in this Section prohibits the continuance of such a suspension for an indefinite period if the State Superintendent determines that the cause for the suspension remains unabated. Any certificate may be revoked for the same reasons as for suspension by the State Superintendent of Education. No certificate shall be revoked until the teacher has an opportunity for a hearing before the State Teacher Certification Board, which hearing must be held within 120 days from the date the appeal is taken, unless the State Teacher Certification Board requests a delay. In such an instance, the stay of the revocation proceedings must be continued until the completion of the proceedings.

The State Board may refuse to issue or may suspend the certificate of any person who fails to file a return, or to pay the tax, penalty or interest shown in a filed return, or to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or interest, as required by any tax Act administered by the Illinois Department of Revenue, until such time as the requirements of any such tax Act are satisfied.

(b) Any certificate issued pursuant to this Article may be suspended for an appropriate length of time as determined by either the regional superintendent or State Superintendent of Education upon evidence that the holder of the certificate has been named as a perpetrator in an indicated report filed pursuant to the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, approved June 26, 1975, as amended, and upon proof by clear and convincing evidence that the licensee has caused a child to be an abused child or neglected child as defined in the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.

The regional superintendent or State Superintendent of Education shall, upon receipt of evidence that the certificate holder has been named a perpetrator in any indicated report, serve written notice to the individual and afford the individual opportunity for a hearing prior to suspension. If a hearing is requested within 10 days of notice of opportunity for hearing, it shall act as a stay of proceedings not to exceed 30 days, unless the individual requests a delay. In such an instance, the stay of proceedings must be continued for another 30 days. No certificate shall be suspended until the teacher has an opportunity for a hearing at the educational service region. When a certificate is suspended, the right of appeal shall lie to the State Teacher Certification Board. When an appeal is taken within 10 days after notice of suspension it shall act as a stay of proceedings not to exceed 120 days. The State Superintendent may revoke any certificate upon proof at hearing by clear and convincing evidence that the certificate holder has caused a child to be an abused child or neglected child as defined in the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. No certificate shall be revoked until the teacher has an opportunity for a hearing before the State Teacher Certification Board, which hearing must be held within 120 days from the date the appeal is taken, unless the teacher or the hearing officer appointed by the State Teacher Certification Board requests a delay. In such an instance, the stay of the revocation proceedings must be continued until the completion of the proceedings.

(c) The State Superintendent of Education or a person designated by him shall have the power to administer oaths to witnesses at any hearing conducted before the State Teacher Certification Board pursuant to this Section. The State Superintendent of Education or a person designated by him is authorized to subpoena and bring before the State Teacher Certification Board any person in this State and to take testimony either orally or by deposition or by exhibit, with the same fees and mileage and in the same manner as prescribed by law in judicial proceedings in the civil cases in circuit courts of this State.

Any circuit court, upon the application of the State Superintendent of Education, may, by order duly entered, require the attendance of witnesses and the production of relevant books and papers at any hearing the State Superintendent of Education is authorized to conduct pursuant to this Section, and the court may compel obedience to its orders by proceedings for contempt.

(d) As used in this Section, "teacher" means any school district employee regularly required to be certified, as provided in this Article, in order to teach or supervise in the public schools.

(Source: P.A. 93-679, eff. 6-30-04.)