Substitute Handbook

ILLINOIS STATE LICENSURE

A substitute teacher must hold a proper teaching license for teaching in the State of Illinois. The license must be registered in Will ROE . 

EFFECTIVE January 1, 2012:

Substitute license holders may teach unlimited days in a school district during one school year, but not longer than 90 days for one teacher. Certified teachers may teach unlimited days in a school district during one school year, but not more than 120 days for one teacher. A person receiving a TRS pension may be employed in a TRS covered position for up to 100 paid days (or 500 paid hours) per school year & still receive a retirement pension.

It is your responsibility to keep a record of your hours/days worked to ensure you do not exceed the limitation.

Substitute License	Short-Term Substitute License
Valid for 5 years	Expires on June 30, 2028, non-renewable
Renewable with $50 payment/registration fee	Application and $25 application fee required
Bachelor’s degree or higher required from an accredited 4 year institution	Can teach up to 5 consecutive days per licensed teacher
Can serve in place of a contracted teacher for up to 90 days or up to 30 days in an emergency situation when no teacher is under contract	Must complete a district training prior to employment
	Associate degree or higher from an accredited college OR at least 60 hrs of 100 level coursework from an accredited college/university

*Application fees will be reimbursed by ISBE once you substitute teach for 10 or more days. Ask the ROE for more details. 

After applying for your license through ISBE and paying the appropriate fees, you must submit your transcripts to either the Will County ROE or at transcripts@isbe.net. Licenses will be issued automatically after transcripts have been verified. 

Will County Substitute Authorization

Pursuant to Sec. 10-21.9 of the Illinois School Code, as of January 1, 2011, all teachers seeking a substitute position in Illinois schools are required to register with the Regional Office of Education and qualify for a “Substitute Teacher Authorization” in the county where they wish to teach.

Prospective substitutes who want to work in Will County schools must now apply for a “Substitute Teacher Authorization” at the Will County Regional Office of Education.

All substitute teachers currently active on the Will County Regional Office of Education Substitute Teacher List have documentation on file and are considered to have a “Substitute Teacher Authorization” from the office until further notice.

The following documentation must be provided to the Will County Regional Office of Education before a “Substitute Teacher Authorization” will be issued by the Will County Regional Office of Education:

1. Substitute Teacher Information Form (Includes Physician's Statement of Good Health)
2. Substitute Permission Form
3. Employment Eligibility Verification Form/I-9 (Two forms of identification)
4. Acknowledgement of Mandated Reporter Status/DCFS
5. Will County Sub List Request Form 
6. Physician’s statement of good health and freedom from communicable disease signed by a physician and not more than 90 days old.  Please keep a copy of these for your records.
7. AFTER your license is issued & registered, and AFTER your physician's statement is completed, please call and set up an appointment for fingerprinting. There is a $39.00 fee (paid by the substitute) to perform a criminal background check (cash, personal check or money order).  Applicants are responsible for all fees associated with performing a criminal background check.

Questions about your license and license procedures may be answered at the Will County Regional Office of Education, 116 N. Chicago St, Joliet IL, 815-740-8360, www.willroe.org. Please note that authorizations are done on Tuesday/Thursday only, and it is approximately a 2-week processing time. 

To view your license online and/or print a copy, go to https://apps.isbe.net/iwasnet/login.aspx.

A Long-term Substitute is defined as a person who substitutes for the same contracted employee for more than ten (10) consecutive work days.

To be eligible to work as a Long-term Substitute, a person will need to have:

• A current Professional Educator License (PEL)
  OR
• A current Professional Educator License with Stipulations
  OR
• A current Substitute License

According to Board Policy 5:220, a long-term Substitute will be financially compensated at the daily rate of pay for a substitute teacher for the first 10 days of their assignment.  On day 11, they will be financially compensated on Lane 1, Step 0 of the current Teacher Salary Schedule according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

General School Policies

1. All Troy CCSD 30C property and facilities are smoke-free, drug-free and alcohol-free.
2. Students are never to be left alone in the classroom.
3. Corporal punishment is not to be used in any circumstance.
4. Students are not to be released from the building during the school day without permission from the office.
5. Classes are to be dismissed promptly at the designated time. No students are to remain in the classroom or any other part of the building unless parents have been notified and transportation, if needed, has been arranged. A teacher must be present to supervise the student.
6. Generally, no medication (even aspirin, cough drops, etc.) is to be stored or administered in the classroom. Regularly prescribed medication will be administered in the Nurse’s Office by appropriate school personnel.  There are exceptions to this rule.  Students may need to carry, on their person, an item such as an inhaler or epi-pen that they self-administer in an emergency. Supporting documentation will be located in the Nurse’s Office and in the teacher’s substitute plans. 
7. Money collected from students for any reason is to be delivered to the office at the first available opportunity.
8. Animals are not allowed in the building.
9. Substitute teachers are not allowed to bring their own children to the building.

Required Trainings

In order to provide a complete and easy opportunity for substitutes to complete all mandated and required tutorials, the Troy School District uses the Global Compliance Network for the completion of all training. 

The district has also partnered with Navigate360 to offer all staff online training opportunities pertaining to our ALICE protocols.

Once you begin your employment with Troy, you will be assigned a login and password for GCN in order to complete a variety of training each year.  To complete the ALICE training, once you have received your Troy email account you will utilize that to log into the system to complete the required training(s). Training(s) will vary and will be assigned via email.

Substitutes are required to complete their training for both GCN and ALICE within 45 days of their start date and Troy reserves the right to remove a substitute from the active substitute list if their training is not completed. 

Training may be accessed at www.gcntraining.com and http://learn.navigate360.com/learn

School and/or Teacher Responsibilities

• Provide an identification badge for the substitute teacher to wear at all times in the building.
• Provide a timesheet for the substitute teacher to complete, sign, and return to the office before exiting the building.
• Provide directions to the teacher’s mailbox, classroom and the Staff Lounge/Lunchroom.
• Provide a notebook/folder which includes such things as:
  • Current seating chart or class roster.
  • Teacher’s attendance records and attendance forms (student passes, return permits, etc.).
  • Daily schedule, including bell schedule when applicable. The daily schedule may vary due to early dismissal, assemblies, testing, etc.
  • Washroom, recess, and special teacher schedules and procedures.  Grouping information, if applicable.
  • Special instructions. Instructions may include allergies (food, bee stings), medication, special service providers, physician’s note, parent volunteers, etc.
  • Detailed lesson plans, including textbooks and necessary materials for the daily lessons.
  • Emergency procedures and lock down procedures.
  • Special schedules (assemblies, early dismissal, bell schedule changes).  Extra duty assignments (hall duty, door duty, study hall).  Previously assigned homework or forms collection. Assembly seating chart, if applicable.
  • A secure place where the substitute can place belongings.

Use of Technology

The use of Technology by teachers is a daily occurrence. Teachers use laptops, digital projectors, document cameras, and White Boards to allow staff and students to interact and learn in ways not previously possible.

Acceptable Use-School Board Policy 6:220:

All use of the District's electronic network must be (1) in support of education and/or research, and be in furtherance of the School Board's stated goal, or (2) for a legitimate school business purpose. Use is a privilege, not a right. Students and staff members have no expectation of privacy in any material that is stored, transmitted, or received via the District's electronic network or District computers. General rules for behavior and communications apply when using electronic networks. The District's Authorization for Electronic Network Access contains the appropriate uses, ethics, and protocol. Electronic communications and downloaded material, including files deleted from a user's account but not erased, may be monitored or read by school officials.

Appropriate Dress

All Employees and substitutes are required to maintain professional standards of dress and grooming during work hours and school-related activities.

We ask that employees dress as professionals and follow the "business casual" model for all student attendance days. This can include: shirts/blouses, well-kept polo shirts, pants that are not made out of denim material and fit in a manner that is consistent with professional attire such as no leggings or overly tight or revealing material. If there is a question in your mind, it might not be worth wearing. Given the parameters of the dress code, we have decided to otherwise designate all student attendance days as professional dress days and we will not administratively support or encourage any wearing of jeans or hoodies, etc. by employees. Non-student attendance days can be more relaxed but staff are still expected to wear apparel that reflects the "professionalism of our profession."

Bus drivers and custodians can still choose to wear jeans due to the nature of their work.

PE teachers can still wear active wear and sports clothing due to the nature of their work and teaching environment. While shorts are not encouraged, limited staff may wear shorts due to the nature of their position (e.g., PE teachers and Lunchroom/Recess Supervisors). If you are in a position that requires you to be outside for extended periods of time, please feel free to wear shorts but you are asked to follow the same professional dress points above. Simply put, we ask that you follow the intent of the new dress code.

Removal of a Substitute

Any substitute may be removed from the list of substitutes by action of the Department of Human Resources for any or no reason since a substitute is an at-will employee of the District.

Examples of automatic removal include but are not limited to:

• lack of participation & completion of required trainings
• expired/invalid license
• disciplinary action
• Not meeting the active substitute status requirement
• Based upon request(s) from several building administrators that substitutes not return to their respective buildings
• Excessive amount of late cancellations

Active Substitute Status Requirement

To maintain an experienced and well-trained substitute staff pool, substitutes are required to maintain an active status throughout the school year. Substitutes that do not have any activity for a period of two (2) months may be removed from the substitute pool and required to reapply for the next school year.

Cancellation of Assignments

When a substitute teacher accepts an assignment, he/she is making a commitment to the school. Assignments should only be canceled in case of an emergency. If an emergency arises, the substitute should cancel the job as soon as possible. The substitute must also notify the school of the cancellation.

To notify Aesop that you will no longer be able to fill an assignment: You must know the specific confirmation number 

Cancel the job as soon as you know that you cannot meet the commitment. If you need to cancel within 24 hours of the job start time, please call the school to let them know why you had to cancel your assignment. If it is after school hours, leave a voice message indicating that you are no longer available. 

If you attempt to cancel within one hour before the job starts, Aesop will prompt you to notify the school so that they can remove you from the assignment and start the process to obtain another substitute. If you cancel within 12 hours of an absence, the system will generate an automatic Non-work day, which cannot be removed. You will not be able to accept any other job for the same workday you canceled.

We monitor the activity of canceled jobs. If we identify a pattern of “last minute” cancellations or see jobs canceled so a different job can be accepted, the substitute will be notified and may possibly be denied further employment.

As a valuable member of our team, we count on Substitutes to fill vacancies so we can support our students. If you accept an assignment, we expect you to fulfill it unless there is an emergency or extenuating circumstances.  The cut off to cancel a position in Frontline is 12 hours prior to the position starting. Should you need to cancel an assignment after that,  please contact the Administrative Assistant and email Terri Radak, HR Specialist at tradak@troy30c.org with the reason for the cancellation. Please do not cancel an assignment to instead pick up a different assignment.

Should you have any reason which would prevent you from substituting for an extended period of time, please contact Jamie Isabelli at jisabelli@troy30c.org to inform us of your unavailability.

School Schedule

Arrival time is a minimum of 30 minutes prior to the start of the instructional periods listed on the last page of this handbook. Upon arrival in the school, you will need to check-in with the Building Administrative Assistant in the main office. Please be sure that you're signing in and out everyday and at each building if you are completing more than one assignment.

Departure time is 15 minutes after dismissal.

Individual school schedules may vary due to early dismissal, assemblies, testing, etc.

All substitute employees will receive a 30-minute duty-free lunch; however, plan periods are not guaranteed. Plan periods will be subject to change based on building needs determined by the Building Administrator.

Arrival & Dismissal Times

	Elementary Schools	Intermediate & Middle School
Arrival	8:05 am	7:20 am
Dismissal	3:20 pm	2:35 pm
Dismissal - SIP Day	12:05 pm	11:20 am

 

Early Dismissal

There are student early dismissal days throughout the year. Please refer to the District 30C school calendar for dates. Substitute teachers will be paid the SIP day rate.

Before the School Day Starts

1. Familiarize yourself with the room
2. Check the daily schedule
3. Read the plan book.
4. Review the names on the seating chart

The Start of the Day

1. Be in the room or at the door when the students arrive
2. Greet the students
3. Follow the established routine as shown in the plans
4. Check attendance carefully

Class Control

A few simple suggestions will help you establish good class routines, provide for efficient learning situations, and establish mutual respect between teacher and student.

Expect good behavior. Children tend to respond to whatever we expect of them. A few minutes of explanation at the start of the school day outlining your expectations will solve problems that may arise.

Be fair and consistent. Class control depends greatly on the degree of fair and consistent treatment. Children must know the “ground rules” before they will accept them.

Recognize the importance of every child. Children are human beings with personal feelings and individual differences. If possible, make personal corrections in private. At all times, avoid embarrassment, ridicule, and sarcasm. Positive comments or supplying “jobs” for some students will sometimes correct a trying situation.

Do not leave the group. If a situation does arise, notify the closest teacher so that the students in your room are not left unattended. Use the intercom in the room to request assistance.

Profanity or derogatory comments are never to be used to motivate or control students.

If discipline problems arise which you are not able to manage, an administrator should be contacted immediately for assistance using the “call” button.

Helpful Hints

Be Prepared

Your ability to carry out the day’s lesson plans as outlined will affect the class control and the students’ education for the day. If you substitute for more than one day, you are under the same obligation as the regular teacher to plan for the next day. Periods when students are not in the room provide an excellent opportunity for planning, correcting completed work, or observing students in another setting.

Make Your Presentation Clear

What the children gain from the lesson will depend on how well you present it.

1. Keep the language on the child’s level of understanding.
2. Present one point at a time.
3. Go from the known to the unknown, the easy to the difficult.
4. Stop often and review.
5. Do not hesitate to repeat.
6. Give the children the opportunity to ask questions.

Time for Summary

All facts and concepts need to be brought together before the close of the lesson. Vary your ways of summations. It can be teacher-directed, student-directed, or activity-directed.

Stay on Schedule

Do your best to maintain the schedule set by the teacher.

The End of the Day

Routine dismissal procedures should be in the Substitute Folder.

Students are not allowed to remain in the building after dismissal without parental permission. Leave the room in an orderly fashion. Return teacher manuals to the appropriate location. Leave any assignments collected for the teacher.

Leave a note for the teacher with any challenges to the day and how much of the lesson plan was completed.

Return any keys you were issued to the school office personnel.  Complete a timesheet and make a copy for your records.

Check with the Building Administrative Assistant as to whether your services will be required for the next day.

 

Professional Ethics of the Substitute

All information regarding students, parents, staff, or other school related matters is confidential. Negative comments, insulting remarks and/or inappropriate language regarding students or staff members are not permitted.

Interacting with Students

Every parent knows that children benefit from gentle touches and hugs. Unfortunately, innocent gestures can be misinterpreted as inappropriate touching, excessive force, or even abuse. Touching children at school increases the risk that the school employees will face these types of accusations.

School employees should use common sense to prevent false claims of abuse and inappropriate touching.  Some points to remember include, but are not limited to:

1. Avoid being alone with a student of either sex.
2. Avoid physical contact with students, which could be misunderstood as sexual in nature.
3. Physical force to enforce discipline is not allowed.
4. Avoid communicating with students outside of school hours.
5. Avoid off-the-cuff comments with suggestive or double entendre overtones.
6. Do not be drawn into discussions of sexually explicit topics, such as tasteless jokes, suggestive song lyrics, politics, or religion.
7. If a student confides in you regarding a personal topic of a sexual nature, invite another adult to join the conversation and report the conversation in writing to the school counselor or administrator immediately.
8. Do not transport students in your personal vehicle.
9. Avoid any romantic contact with current or former students, even if the students are over 18 years old.

Substitute teachers are expected to comply with and assist in any emergency procedure.

Each classroom should have a map or specific information that indicates where those students and staff are to report for Fire Drill and weather emergencies. In addition, the substitute is responsible for taking attendance upon arrival at the designated area and to report any discrepancies immediately to an administrator. Class lists should be readily available in the classroom.

Injury to Student

In case of an accident or medical need for a student, notify school office staff via the telephone or two-way radio to receive assistance from the school nurse or administrator in the building. Never leave remaining students unattended. Substitute teachers are to report all accidents to the building-level principal or school health office. Classroom teachers are issued disposable gloves to be used in the event of the presence of bodily fluids (mucous, blood, vomit, etc.).

In Case of Personal Injury

Any injury sustained in the course of school duties must be reported immediately to the school administrator. An Injury or Accident Report must be completed and submitted to the appropriate office at the time of the injury.  An employee injured on the job may be insured under the provisions of Workers’ Compensation Law.

School Closing Information

In the event of emergency school closing, it is your responsibility to use the contacts below to determine if you are to report to work. If you report to work and there is no school, you will not be paid. On delayed opening days, all staff, including substitutes, are to report at the regular time.

Access to school closing information is available at:

• Troy CCSD 30C main telephone: 815-577-6760
• Troy CCSD 30C main website: www.troy30c.org
• Local TV and radio stations
• Parent Square

The Department of Human Resources is normally open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Located at 5800 West Theodore Street, Plainfield, Illinois, you will need to enter Door #10.  Feel free to contact the Department of Human Resources for clarification of regulations or if assistance is required.

Change of Name, Address or Telephone

For name changes, bring a new social security card, marriage certificate or divorce decree to the Department of Human Resources, and complete the appropriate form.  For address or telephone changes you will need to complete the request in Skyward Finance by selecting Employee Information and requesting an update in the appropriate field.

Removing Your Name from the Substitute List

If you are no longer available to work for Troy CCSD 30C, please contact Jamie Isabelli, Human Resources Coordinator at 815-230-9934, jisabelli@troy30c.org, and request that your name be removed from the substitute list.

Continuation of Employment

Please note that at the end of each school year we will review the work history of all substitutes in our pool. Individuals that failed to accept assignments, not meet the minimum assignment acceptance, cancellation patterns, or are subject to removal for reasons noted on page 8 will be removed from our active substitute pool and, if interested in working as a substitute again, will need to repeat the hiring process including a background check.

Substitutes that have met the requirements throughout the year for continued employment will be sent a Notice of Continuation letter to complete and return to Human Resources. This letter will be sent to substitutes along with the Substitute Handbook at the end of the school year.  Failure to return your Notice of Continuation letter and signed acknowledgment form to Jamie Isabelli, Human Resources Coordinator-jisabelli@troy30c.org by May 31st will result in removal from the active substitute list and will require re-application.

Payroll Information

Payroll questions or concerns: Veronica Arias, Payroll Specialist- varias@troy30c.org or 815-609-7006.

Substitute Teachers and Teaching Associates are paid by the half or full day. All other substitutes are paid for the number of hours worked.

Extra Duty

If asked to work extra duty, the substitute teacher will be paid from an alternate pay schedule and will complete an additional timesheet. Lunch duty income is not covered as a component of the Teacher Retirement System (T.R.S.). Lunch duty income is reportable for FICA and Medicare.

Retirement Benefits for Substitute Teachers

All substitute teachers, with the exception of retired teachers receiving T.R.S. income, are required to contribute to the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (T.R.S.).

All substitute teachers contribute to Medicare.

Retired teachers receiving T.R.S. income contributes to Medicare.

Certified Substitute acting as a teaching assistant will be subject to FICA & Medicare (No T.R.S)

Substitute teachers do not receive fringe benefits from Troy School District 30-C

Payroll deductions will be made for State of Illinois (IL-W-4) and Federal (Form W-4) income tax, and Medicare.

Substitutes are eligible to participate in a 403B Plan with a district-approved vendor. Please contact the Payroll Specialist, Veronica Arias, at 815-609-7006 or varias@troy30c.org.

What is Frontline Absence Management?

Frontline Absence Management is a system that links substitutes with vacancies created by an absent Teacher or ESP on a 24/7 basis. Highlights of Frontline Absence Management (formerly known as Aesop) include:

• real-time system
• ability to view and accept jobs from your computer, an app on your phone, or off of a phone call
• ability to block off days and set preferences to schools & types of positions you would like to accept
• Gives subs the opportunity to be proactive in accepting jobs instead of waiting for a call.

Accessing Frontline Absence Management

After substitute teachers have been approved by the Troy School Board of Education and have completed the necessary paperwork, Terri Radak, HR Specialist, will email substitutes with a welcome letter and provide them with instructions for accessing Frontline Absence Management, including  information in the ID and Pin Number.  This email will be time sensitive, so we suggest trying to log in soon after receiving this set of emails. If you have any additional questions on accessing Frontline Absence Management, please contact Terri Radak at 815-577-6760 Ext. 4727.

When will I be called?

Morning Call-Out (when AESOP places calls) 5:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for jobs that day

Most calls will be placed between 5:45 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

It is your responsibility to update your calendar on AESOP so that you do not receive calls for dates you know you are not available to work. Please review your personal information regularly.

Please note the following:

*Substitutes are not permitted to accept assignments in their own family’s classrooms.

Substitute Position	Rate of Pay
Substitute Teachers	$210/day (paid in half or full day) *$250/day for former/retired Troy teachers $125/day for SIP days *$145/day for former/retired Troy teachers
Substitute Teaching Assistants	$126.77/full day $63.38/half day
Substitute Nurse	$30.75 hour
Substitute Lunchroom Supervisor	$16.21 hour
Substitute Building Administrative Assistant	$18.82 hour
Substitute Bus Driver	$24.79 hour
Substitute Technology Associates	$21.06 hour
Substitute Custodian	$20.60 hour

 

Elementary School Hours- 8:35am-3:05 pm/ Intermediate & Middle School Hours-7:50am-2:20 pm