Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) Qualifications of Teachers - All persons
who teach a driver education course must meet the applicable standards of this
subsection (a).
1) Each individual first
assigned to teach safety and driver education in a public school district on or
after February 1, 2012 shall be required to hold a professional educator
license endorsed for both the secondary grades and safety and driver education
pursuant to 23 Ill. Adm. Code
25.100(k).
2) Each individual first assigned to teach
safety and driver education in a nonpublic school on or after February 1, 2012
shall meet the course requirements of 23 Ill. Adm. Code
25.100(k).
3) A driver education instructor who teaches
in either a public school district or in a nonpublic school must:
A) possess good physical health as determined
in accordance with Section 24-5 of the School Code; and
B) hold a valid driver's license in good
standing that has been issued by the state in which he or she resides. For the
purposes of this subsection (a)(3)(B), a driver's license issued in Illinois
shall not be considered valid and in good standing if it is revoked, suspended,
expired or cancelled as described in Sections 6-201 through 6-209 of the
Illinois Driver Licensing Law [ 625 ILCS 5 ] or if restrictions have been
placed on driving privileges through either a restricted driving permit under
Section 6-205(c)(1) or a monitoring device driving permit under Section
6-206.1.
4) Additional
requirements will not be retroactive as pertaining to those qualified under
standards applicable prior to September 1, 1962, so long as they continue to
teach driver education in the same district, except in the event the method of
instruction has been changed to include simulation and/or multiple-car
laboratory instruction. (See 23 Ill. Adm. Code
1.730(q).)
The prescribed additional requirements effective July 1, 1969, must be
met.
5) When schools have a
department chairman or a person designated to supervise the driver education
program, this person must be qualified as described in this Section.
b) Invalid Driver's License - The
State Board of Education, using information provided by the Secretary of State,
shall on a regular basis provide to school districts and nonpublic schools
employing driver education instructors who possess Illinois driver's licenses a
list of driver education instructors who are in possession of an invalid
driver's license as described in subsection (a)(3)(B). It shall be the
responsibility of the school district or nonpublic school employing an
instructor who holds an out-of-state license to ensure that that license is
valid and in good standing (e.g., has not been revoked, suspended, expired, or
cancelled or is restricted by the state issuing the license).
1) After receiving the list, or confirmation
that an out-of-state license is invalid, the school district or nonpublic
school shall inform each of the instructors in writing of the determination
that he or she is in possession of an invalid license and that he or she has no
more than five school days to provide evidence to the school district or
nonpublic school disputing the determination.
2) If the initial determination is found to
be correct (i.e., the instructor's license is not valid), then the driver
education instructor shall be removed from the driver education program
immediately.
3) A driver education
instructor who is removed from his or her teaching position due to an invalid
license shall not be allowed to teach a driver education course for three years
following the reinstatement of a valid driver's license.
4) For the purposes of this subsection (b), a
driver education instructor shall not be subject to the three-year suspension
described in subsection (b)(3) if:
A) the
invalid license is restored to good standing, and
B) the reason that the license was
invalidated is due to a non-serious violation not related to driving ability or
performance (e.g., failure to renew a license, failure to pay traffic fines,
not possessing a mandatory insurance card).
c) Administrators and teachers of
State-approved high school driver education courses shall not acquire an
interest in, teach in, or solicit for a commercial driver training
school.
