VA HB 1023

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Description

Part-time or adjunct instructors in public schools; locally awarded subject matter expert credentials; career and technical education subjects or courses. Establishes, enumerates criteria for, and permits a division superintendent or a comprehensive community college to issue a locally awarded subject matter expert teaching credential, valid for a period of one year, to any individual who demonstrates expertise in content or subject matter area relating to career and technical education in order for such individual to provide instruction or coursework in one career and technical education course per semester in grades six through 12 at any public school in the Commonwealth or comprehensive community college in the Commonwealth, including dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment courses. The bill delineates the criteria for issuance of such locally awarded subject matter expert credential. The bill also contains several provisions relating to the employment of individuals under a locally awarded subject matter expert credential, including (i) permitting any school division or institution of higher education to hire any such individual as a part-time or adjunct instructor to teach a career and technical education subject or course; (ii) requiring any such individual to be subject to a background clearance check and the fingerprinting and criminal history records check requirements required as a condition of employment of any applicant who is offered or accepts employment at a school division pursuant to applicable law; (iii) requiring each employing school board to assign an individual employed by such school board as a mentor to supervise any individual issued a locally awarded subject matter expert credential; and (iv) permitting any division superintendent to renew an individual's locally awarded subject matter expert credential for a period not to exceed one additional year, provided that such individual receives satisfactory performance evaluations. Finally, the bill requires each school board to annually report to the Department of Education the number of locally awarded subject matter expert credentials issued pursuant to the provisions of the bill.