Current through Pa Acts 2024-53, 2024-56 through 2024-111
Section 11-1109 - Qualifications(a) Every teacher employed to teach in the public schools of this Commonwealth must be a person of good moral character, must be at least eighteen years of age, and must be a citizen of the United States: Provided, That citizenship may be waived in the case of exchange teachers not permanently employed, and teachers employed for the purpose of teaching foreign languages, including special teachers who speak the idiomatic or colloquial language of immigrants residing in the school district, and employed for the purpose of easing the transition period of such immigrants.(b) Every principal appointed after August thirty-first, one thousand nine hundred fifty-three, employed in the public schools of this Commonwealth, who devotes one-half or more of his time to supervision and administration, shall be properly certificated by the Department of Public Instruction in accordance with such standards as the State Board of Education may establish.(c) An individual who is granted an administrative certificate by the Department of Education prior to January 1, 2008, and who is employed for the first time in a position of principal, vice principal or assistant principal in a public school in this Commonwealth on or after January 1, 2008, shall complete the induction program provided for in subsection (f) within five years of appointment as a principal, vice principal or assistant principal.(d)(1) An individual who applies on or after January 1, 2008, for a certificate to become eligible to serve as a principal, vice principal or assistant principal in a public school in this Commonwealth and who otherwise meets the requirements for such certificate shall be issued an Administrative I certificate.(2) No individual may serve as a principal, vice principal or assistant principal on an Administrative I certificate for more than five school years.(e) The holder of an Administrative I certificate shall be issued an Administrative II certificate upon application to the Department of Education verifying three years of satisfactory service on an Administrative I certificate and successful completion of the induction program provided for in subsection (f).(f)(1) The Department of Education shall design and offer an induction program at no cost to those principals, vice principals and assistant principals who participate and at no cost to their employer school entities and shall approve other providers to offer induction programs. An induction program shall be designed to aid in development in the core school leadership standards identified in section 1217(a)(1) . (2) A participant in an induction program shall not be required to attend more than thirty-six (36) hours of induction during any one school year or a total of one hundred eight (108) hours over the course of the induction program.(3) Hours of participation in an induction program shall be applied toward meeting the certificate holder's continuing professional education requirements under section 1205.2. 1949, March 10, P.L. 30, art. XI, § 1109. Amended 1951, June 28, P.L. 930, § 1; 1965, Oct. 21, P.L. 601, § 25; 1970, March 19, P.L. 189, No. 73, § 2; 2007, July 20, P.L. 278, No. 45, § 4, imd. effective.