Legislation co-sponsored by State Representative Tony McCombie to help streamline background checks on substitute teachers in an effort to address the substitute teacher shortage impacting school districts throughout Illinois was signed by Governor Pritzker on Friday.
Provisions of the new law allow Regional Offices of Education to share a cleared background check with another neighboring ROE on a substitute teacher applicant to allow substitute teachers to more easily teach in multiple ROE territories without duplication of the same statewide background check in each Region.
“By allowing better sharing of data between Regional Offices, we can make the process easier to get qualified substitute teachers into the classrooms where they are needed most,” said Rep. McCombie. “I was pleased to co-sponsor this important change in state law to help meet the needs of local school districts here at home and across Illinois.”
House Bill 2982 was introduced and sponsored by Rep. Dan Swanson, R-Alpha.