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For SLPs Who Are or Want to Be Contracted to Work in Schools

Published in the November 2024 issue of the ISHA Voice.

By Karen Kockler, member of the School Affairs Committee and the ASHA State Education Advocacy Leader for IL

Required Credentials:

  • IDFPR License Section 7 Licensure (all SLPs, SLPAs, and Audiologists)
  • Professional Educator License (SLPs only)
  • Must hold one of the following: (see (b) (1) or (2) below from the School Code)

Sec. 14-6.04. Contracting for speech-language pathology services.

(105 ILCS 5/14-6.04) Sec. 14-6.04. Contracting for speech-language pathology services.

  1.  For purposes of this Section: "Reasonable efforts" means performing all of the following:
  2. placing at least 3 employment advertisements for a speech-language pathologist published in the newspaper of widest distribution within the school district or cooperative;
  3. placing one employment listing in the placement bulletin of a college or university that has a speech-language pathology curriculum that is located in the geographic area of the school district or cooperative, if any; and
  4. posting the position for speech-language pathologist on the Illinois Association of School Administrators' job placement service for at least 30 days.

"Speech-language pathologist" means a person who:

  1. holds a master's or doctoral degree with a major emphasis in speech-language pathology from an institution whose course of study was approved or program was accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association or its predecessor; AND
  2. either
      • Has completed a program of study that meets the content-area standards for speech language pathologists approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board,
      • Has completed a program in another state, territory, or possession of the United States that is comparable to an approved program of study described in item (i), OR
      • Holds a certificate or license issued by another state, territory, or possession of the United States that is comparable to a Professional Educator License with a school support personnel endorsement in the area of speech language pathologist. 

If the requirements described in items (i), (ii), or (iii) of this paragraph (2) have not been met, a person must provide evidence that he or she has completed at least 150 clock hours of supervised experience in speech-language pathology with students with disabilities in a school setting, including experience required by federal law or federal court order; however, a person who lacks such experience shall participate in school-based professional experience of at least 150 clock hours to meet this requirement.

“Speech language pathology services” means the application of methods and procedures for identifying, measuring, testing, appraising, predicting, and modifying communication development and disorders or disabilities of speech, language, and voice-related disorders for the purpose of counseling, consulting, and rendering services or participating in the planning, directing, or conducting of programs that arrear designed to modify communicative disorders and conditions in individuals or groups of individuals involving speech, language, voice, and swallowing functions.

  1. A school district or a cooperative must make reasonable efforts to employ a speech-language pathologist.  While making those reasonable efforts or after unsuccessful reasonable efforts have been made, or both, a school district or cooperative may contract for speech-language pathology services with a speech-language pathologist or entity that employs speech language pathologists.  A speech-language pathologist who provides speech-language pathology services pursuant to a contract must:
    1. hold a speech-language pathology license under the Illinois Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act or hold or have applied for a temporary license issued under Section 8.1 of that Act; AND
    2. hold a Professional Educator License with a special education endorsement in the area of speech language pathologist OR with a school support personnel endorsement in the area of school speech and language pathologist under this Code.

(Source:  P.A. 102-894, eff. 5/20/2022)

Renewal Requirements

Renewal requirements and procedures for PELs held by contracted SLPs are the same as for any other SLP working in the schools.  Since all should be holding IDFPR licenses, CE requirements will be covered, and renewal easily made in ELIS.

Karen Kockler, MA, CCC, SLP-L, is the ASHA State Education Advocacy Leader for IL. She has over 30 years of experience as a teacher and an SLP.