Ill. Admin. Code tit. 23 § 210.100

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 44, November 1, 2024

Section 210.100 - Suspension and Revocation of Program Approval

a) The State Superintendent of Education shall investigate an IHOPE program when any of the following occurs:

1) the program fails to receive approval to continue operating, in accordance with the requirements of Section 210.80 of this Part;

2) a parent or guardian files a written complaint with the regional superintendent of education or CPS, as applicable, or the State Superintendent of Education alleging that the program meets one or more of the following conditions:

A) A failure to meet educational outcomes as enumerated in the approved IHOPE plan for a period of two or more consecutive years;

B) A failure to comply with all applicable laws as specified in Section 2-3.66b of the School Code and this Part;

C) A failure to comply with the terms and conditions of an IHOPE incentive grant received pursuant to Subpart B of this Part; or

D) A failure to maintain financial records according to Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures or, in the case of CPS, 23 Ill. Adm. Code 100;

3) the State Superintendent otherwise receives information or becomes aware of allegations that the program meets one or more of the conditions set forth in subsection (a)(2) of this Section.

b) If the State Superintendent of Education, at the conclusion of the investigation, identifies deficiencies in the program that meet any of the conditions specified in subsection (a) of this Section, then he or she shall provide to the regional office of education that established the program, or to CPS, as applicable, written notification of the specific deficiencies found.

1) The regional office of education or CPS, as applicable, shall submit to the State Superintendent of Education, within 30 calendar days after receiving the notification, a time-specific plan that addresses the specific steps to be taken and staff responsible to remedy each of the deficiencies cited. In no case shall the time needed to correct deficiencies exceed 120 days.

2) The State Superintendent shall approve the plan no later than 15 days after receiving the plan if it meets all of the following requirements.

A) The timeframe is reasonable to correct the cited deficiencies.

B) The proposed steps to be taken to remedy the problems have a high likelihood of correcting the cited deficiencies.

C) A sufficient number of staff are proposed to implement the plan, and their expertise relates to the areas in which the deficiencies were found.

3) The regional office of education or CPS, as applicable, shall provide a copy of the deficiencies and of the approved plan to any entity with which it has entered into a cooperative agreement, intergovernmental agreement, contract or subcontract in order to operate the program or to provide services for students enrolled, as well as to any school district with which it has agreements to issue high school diplomas.

4) If the regional office of education or CPS, as applicable, provides evidence that it has corrected the deficiencies within the timeframe specified in the plan approved pursuant to subsection (b)(2) of this Section, then no change in the program's approved status shall be made.

c) If the regional office of education or CPS, as applicable, is unable to correct all of the deficiencies within the timeframe specified in its plan, even after the provision of technical assistance by State Board of Education staff, then it may submit to the State Superintendent an amended plan.

1) The amended plan shall be submitted no later than 30 calendar days prior to the time the affected deficiencies were to be corrected.

2) The amended plan shall identify the deficiencies that are still unresolved, specifying the reasons for the delay and describing the steps to be taken to remedy the problems and the timeline for completing each. In no case shall the time needed to correct the remaining deficiencies exceed 30 additional calendar days.

3) The State Superintendent of Education will accept the amended plan, provided the remaining deficiencies can be corrected within 30 calendar days and that none of the deficiencies:

A) presents an immediate health hazard or danger to students and staff;

B) severely affects the program's ability to provide a program appropriate to the needs of the students enrolled (i.e., addresses the State Goals for Learning, employs licensed staff, provides the services identified as necessary to assist students to earn a high school diploma); and

C) represents prolonged or repeated problems to a degree that indicates the program's intention not to correct the deficiencies.

d) If the regional office of education or CPS, as applicable, fails to demonstrate that all of the deficiencies have been corrected within the timeframe specified in the amended plan, or fails to submit an amended plan that meets the requirements of subsection (c) of this Section, then approval to operate the program shall be suspended upon written notification from the State Superintendent of Education.

1) The program may serve the students enrolled in the program during the time of its suspension, provided it continues to make progress as specified in its plan and no additional students are enrolled in the program.

2) The regional office of education or CPS, as applicable, shall provide a copy of the notice of suspension to any entity with which it has entered into a cooperative agreement, intergovernmental agreement, contract or subcontract in order to operate the program or to provide services for students enrolled, as well as to any school district with which it has agreements to issue high school diplomas.

3) If the regional office of education or CPS, as applicable, fails to correct all remaining deficiencies within 30 calendar days after receiving the notice of suspension, then approval to operate the program shall be revoked.

e) Notification to revoke program approval shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested to the regional office of education that established the program or to CPS, as applicable. A regional office of education or CPS, as applicable, shall have 10 calendar days after receipt of the notice of revocation to submit a written request for a hearing pursuant to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act [5 ILCS 100 ] and the State Board of Education's rules for Contested Cases and Other Formal Hearings (23 Ill. Adm. Code 475). The receipt of notification shall be determined by the date of receipt shown on the return receipt form.

f) Once approval for a program has been revoked:

1) a regional office of education or CPS, as applicable, shall be ineligible to file any claim upon the Common School Fund with regard to the program;

2) the State Superintendent of Education shall recover grant funds from a regional office of education or CPS, as applicable, in accordance with the provisions of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act [30 ILCS 705 ]; and

3) all students (and their parents or guardians, as applicable) enrolled in the program shall be informed in writing of the revocation no later than 10 school days following receipt of the notification that approval has been revoked.

Ill. Admin. Code tit. 23, § 210.100

Amended at 37 Ill. Reg. 15953, effective September 27, 2013