The Florida Senate

231.1725  Employment of substitute teachers, teachers of adult education, nondegreed teachers of career education, and noncertificated teachers in critical teacher shortage areas.--

(1)  Notwithstanding the provisions of ss. 231.02, 231.15, 231.17, and ¹231.172 or any other provision of law or rule to the contrary, each school board shall establish the minimal qualifications for:

(a)  Substitute teachers to be employed pursuant to s. 231.47. The qualifications shall require the filing of a complete set of fingerprints in the same manner as required by s. 231.02.

(b)  Part-time and full-time teachers in adult education programs. The qualifications shall require the filing of a complete set of fingerprints in the same manner as required by s. 231.02. Faculty employed solely to conduct postsecondary instruction may be exempted from this requirement.

(c)  Part-time and full-time nondegreed teachers of vocational programs. Qualifications shall be established for agriculture, business, health occupations, family and consumer sciences, industrial, marketing, and public service education teachers, based primarily on successful occupational experience rather than academic training. The qualifications for such teachers shall require:

1.  The filing of a complete set of fingerprints in the same manner as required by s. 231.02. Faculty employed solely to conduct postsecondary instruction may be exempted from this requirement.

2.  Documentation of education and successful occupational experience including documentation of:

a.  A high school diploma or the equivalent.

b.  Completion of 6 years of full-time successful occupational experience or the equivalent of part-time experience in the teaching specialization area. Alternate means of determining successful occupational experience may be established by the school board.

c.  Completion of career education training conducted through the local school district inservice master plan.

d.  For full-time teachers, completion of professional education training in teaching methods, course construction, lesson planning and evaluation, and teaching special needs students. This training may be completed through coursework from a standard institution or an approved district teacher education program.

e.  Demonstration of successful teaching performance.

(d)  Part-time and full-time noncertificated teachers in critical teacher shortage areas. The qualifications shall require the filing of fingerprints in the same manner as required by s. 231.02 and shall be based on academic training in the essential generic and specialization competencies of the instructional assignment. The school board shall be responsible for determining critical teacher shortage areas within the school district. Each school board shall annually report the number, qualifications, and areas of assignment of all noncertificated teachers employed pursuant to this paragraph during each school year.

(2)  Substitute, adult education, and nondegreed ²career education teachers and noncertificated teachers in critical teacher shortage areas who are employed pursuant to this section shall have the same rights and protection of laws as certified teachers.

History.--s. 3, ch. 90-285; ss. 10, 11, ch. 90-288; s. 23, ch. 91-105; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 39, ch. 92-136; s. 31, ch. 94-232; s. 55, ch. 97-190; s. 20, ch. 97-246.

¹Note.--Repealed by s. 9, ch. 97-4.

²Note.--The term "career education" was substituted for the term "vocational education" by the editors pursuant to the directive of the Legislature in s. 16, ch. 94-232.