NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT
As required by the No Child Left Behind Act, the Superintendent will ensure that all employee manuals and handbooks are in compliance with federal law and include:
- the education and experience required of all new instructional employees;
- any credentials that current instructional employees must acquire;
- a timetable for meeting any new requirements; and,
- the consequences for employees who fail to comply.
All employees are to be advised of the revisions of the handbooks or manuals and of any implications for existing personnel.
EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
All employees will be provided with an explanation of both their responsibilities and their rights under law in terms of actions they may take to maintain order, discipline, and an appropriate educational environment. Training will be provided that defines approved actions, and informs employees that they may be liable for harm when they engage in criminal, grossly negligent or reckless conduct, or act with flagrant indifference to the rights and safety of another person who suffers harm as a result. The Superintendent will develop rules that prescribe the circumstances under which the district administration and/or parents/guardians are to be notified of actions taken, any written documentation of actions taken that is necessary, and other appropriate procedures including staff training.
A Student Code of Conduct, developed under the leadership of the district administration, and in cooperation with staff, will be made available and distributed to parents and students outlining student conduct expectations and possible disciplinary actions, including consequences for disorderly conduct, as required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA). In addition, each school may publish a student/parent handbook detailing additional rules specific to that school.
IN-SERVICE TRAINING FOR BEGINNING TEACHERS
As part of its comprehensive program of professional development, the Ocean Springs School District shall develop a plan to provide in-service training for beginning teachers. This plan shall include a means of improvement as determined by evaluation of on-the-job performance. As required under MS Code Section 37-17-8, a portion of the district's in-service training for administrators and teachers shall be dedicated to the application and utilization of various disciplinary techniques.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT PLANS
The State Board of Education, through the Commission on School Accreditation, shall establish criteria for comprehensive in-service staff development plans. These criteria shall: (a) include, but not be limited to, formula and guidelines for allocating available state funds for in-service training to local school districts; (b) require that a portion of the plans be devoted exclusively for the purpose of providing staff development training for beginning teachers within that local school district and for no other purpose; and (c) require that a portion of the school district's in-service training for administrators and teachers be dedicated to the application and utilization of various disciplinary techniques. The board shall each year make recommendations to the Legislature concerning the amount of funds which shall be appropriated for this purpose.
School districts shall not be required to submit staff development plans to the Commission on School Accreditation for approval. However, any school district accredited at Level 1 or Level 2 shall include, as a part of any required corrective action plan, provisions to address staff development in accordance with State Board of Education requirements. All school districts, unless specifically exempt from this section, must maintain on file staff development plans as required under this section. The plan shall have been prepared by a district committee appointed by the district superintendent and consisting of teachers, administrators, school board members, and lay people, and it shall have been approved by the district superintendent.
In order to insure that teachers are not overburdened with paperwork and written reports, local school districts and the State Board of Education shall take such steps as may be necessary to further the reduction of paperwork requirements on teachers.
Districts meeting Level 4 or 5 accreditation standards, as defined by the State Board of Education, shall be exempted from the mandatory provisions of this section relating to staff development plans. ' 37-17-8 (2006)
STUDENT TEACHING
Persons who possess two (2) years of classroom experience as an assistant teacher or who have taught for one (1) year in an accredited public or private school shall be allowed to fulfill student teaching requirements under the supervision of a qualified participating teacher approved by an accredited college of education. The local school district in which the assistant teacher is employed shall compensate such assistant teachers at the required salary level during the period of time such individual is completing student teaching requirements. ' 37-3-2 (6) (a)
LICENSE RENEWAL
The State Board of Education is authorized to establish rules and regulations for the renewal and reinstatement of educator and administrator licenses. Effective May 15, 1997, the valid standard license held by an educator shall be extended five (5) years beyond the expiration date of the license in order to afford the educator adequate time to fulfill new renewal requirements established pursuant to this subsection. An educator completing the Master of Education, Educational Specialist or Doctor of Education degree in May 1997 for the purpose of upgrading the educator's license to a higher class shall be given this extension of five (5) years plus five (5) additional years for completion of a higher degree. ' 37-3-2 (9) (2000)
The Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards for this policy are Standards 8 and 21.
LEGAL REF.: MS CODE as cited; P. L. 107-110 (No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)
Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards
ADOPTED: 02/14/2006
REVISED: 12/12/2006
12/08/2009