The Florida Senate

1012.57  Certification of adjunct educators.--

(1)  Notwithstanding the provisions of ss. 1012.32, 1012.55, and 1012.56, or any other provision of law or rule to the contrary, district school boards shall adopt rules to allow for the issuance of an adjunct teaching certificate to any applicant who fulfills the requirements of s. 1012.56(2)(a)-(f) and (10) and who has expertise in the subject area to be taught. An applicant shall be considered to have expertise in the subject area to be taught if the applicant demonstrates sufficient subject area mastery through passage of a subject area test. The adjunct teaching certificate shall be used for part-time teaching positions. The intent of this provision is to allow school districts to tap the wealth of talent and expertise represented in Florida's citizens who may wish to teach part-time in a Florida public school by permitting school districts to issue adjunct certificates to qualified applicants. Adjunct certificateholders should be used as a strategy to reduce the teacher shortage; thus, adjunct certificateholders should supplement a school's instructional staff, not supplant it. Each school principal shall assign an experienced peer mentor to assist the adjunct teaching certificateholder during the certificateholder's first year of teaching, and an adjunct certificateholder may participate in a district's new teacher training program. District school boards shall provide the adjunct teaching certificateholder an orientation in classroom management prior to assigning the certificateholder to a school. Each adjunct teaching certificate is valid for 5 school years and is renewable if the applicant has received satisfactory performance evaluations during each year of teaching under adjunct teaching certification.

(2)  Individuals who are certified and employed under this section shall have the same rights and protection of laws as teachers certified under s. 1012.56

History.--s. 730, ch. 2002-387; s. 44, ch. 2003-391; s. 18, ch. 2004-295; s. 26, ch. 2008-235.