105 ILCS 5/24-16.5 — Illinois Code / Chapter 105 / Act 5 / Section 24-16.5
Section 24-16.5
Status: in_force

(105 ILCS 5/24-16.5) Sec. 24-16.5. Optional alternative evaluative dismissal process for PERA evaluations. (a) As used in this Section: "Applicable hearing requirements" means (i) for any school district having less than 500,000 inhabitants or a program of a special education joint agreement, those procedures and requirements relating to a teacher's request for a hearing, selection of a hearing officer, pre-hearing and hearing procedures, and post-hearing briefs set forth in paragraphs (1) through (6) of subsection (d) of Section 24-12 of this Code or (ii) for a school district having 500,000 inhabitants or more, those procedures and requirements relating to a teacher's request for a hearing, selection of a hearing officer, pre-hearing and hearing procedures, and post-hearing briefs set forth in paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (a) of Section 34-85 of this Code. "Board" means, for a school district having less than 500,000 inhabitants or a program of a special education joint agreement, the board of directors, board of education, or board of school inspectors, as the case may be. For a school district having 500,000 inhabitants or more, "board" means the Chicago Board of Education. "Evaluator" means an evaluator, as defined in Section 24A-2.5 of this Code, who has successfully completed the pre-qualification program described in subsection (b) of Section 24A-3 of this Code. "PERA-trained board member" means a member of a board that has completed a training program on PERA evaluations either administered or approved by the State Board of Education. "PERA evaluation" means a performance evaluation of a teacher after the implementation date of an evaluation system for teachers, as specified by Section 24A-2.5 of this Code, using a performance evaluation instrument and process that meets the minimum requirements for teacher evaluation instruments and processes set forth in rules adopted by the State Board of Education to implement Public Act 96-861. "Remediation" means the remediation plan, mid-point and final evaluations, and related processes and requirements set forth in subdivisions (i), (j), and (k) of Section 24A-5 of this Code. "School district" means a school district or a program of a special education joint agreement. "Second evaluator" means an evaluator who either conducts the mid-point and final remediation evaluation or conducts an independent assessment of whether the teacher completed the remediation plan with a rating equal to or better than a "Proficient" rating, all in accordance with subdivision (c) of this Section. "Teacher practice components" means the components of a performance evaluation plan described in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 24A-5 of this Code, as may be supplemented by administrative rules adopted by the State Board of Education. "Teacher representatives" means the exclusive bargaining representative of a school district's teachers or, if no exclusive bargaining representatives exists, a representative committee selected by teachers. (b) This Section applies to all school districts, including those having 500,000 or more inhabitants. The optional dismissal process set forth in this Section is an alternative to those set forth in Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code. Nothing in this Section is intended to change the existing practices or precedents under Section 24-12 or 34-85 of this Code, nor shall this Section be interpreted as implying standards and procedures that should or must be used as part of a remediation that precedes a dismissal sought under Section 24-12 or 34-85 of this Code. A board may dismiss a teacher who has entered upon contractual continued service under this Section if the following are met: (1) the cause of dismissal is that the teacher has failed to complete a remediation plan