Lewisburg Area School District Policies	Printable version
402 Employment of Professional Employees 402. EMPLOYMENT OF PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES The Board places substantial responsibility for the effective operation of the district with the professional staff. Therefore, the Board shall hire only those professional staff candidates who meet the requirements of federal and state law, Board policy and who are recommended by the Superintendent as having demonstrated that they meet the following standards. These include providing transcripts of academic achievement, demonstrating participation in extra-curricular activities, providing references, documenting prior work experiences, submitting Praxis test results, providing a written response on the application, participating in role-playing, and responding to interview questions. Pre-Employment Requirements The district shall conduct an employment history review in compliance with state law prior to issuing an offer of employment to a candidate. Failure to accurately report required information shall subject the candidate to discipline up to, and including, denial of employment or termination if already hired, and may subject the candidate to civil and criminal penalties. The district may use the information for the purpose of evaluating an applicant’s fitness to be hired or for continued employment and may report the information as permitted by law. A candidate shall not be employed until s/he has complied with the mandatory background check requirements for criminal history and child abuse and the district has evaluated the results of that screening process. A candidate for employment in the district shall not receive a recommendation for employment without evidence of his/her certification when such certification is required. The Superintendent shall periodically review the following standards and recommend revisions to the Board for adoption. Standards 1. All professional employees shall demonstrate general expertise in the field of education and their respective disciplines by any or all of the following: • 3.0 in undergraduate course work • 3.0 in graduate course work • National Board of Education certification • Competitive scores on Praxis or related tests • Appropriate knowledge during interview process • Exemplary professional experience in their certified field • Multiple certification when feasible 2. All professional employees shall demonstrate the ability to maintain appropriate classroom management by successfully participating in role-playing exercises, documenting supporting evidence, and/or correctly responding to interview questions. 3. All professional employees shall demonstrate the ability to adjust their teaching styles to student learning styles by successfully participating in role-playing exercises, documenting supporting evidence, and/or showing a practicing application of learning theories, elements of effective lessons, intelligence research, and Bloom's Taxonomy. 4. All professional employees shall demonstrate a child-centered philosophy, showing genuine warmth and caring by successfully participating in role-playing exercises, documenting supporting evidence, and/or correctly responding to interview questions. 5. All professional employees shall demonstrate excellent diagnostic and evaluation skills by successfully participating in role-playing exercises, citing examples of strategies used, documenting supporting evidence, and/or correctly responding to interview questions. 6. All professional employees shall demonstrate the ability to apply the content of their subject discipline to other curricular areas and toward preparing students for life beyond basic education by successfully participating in role-playing exercises, citing examples of strategies used, and/or correctly responding to interview questions. 7. All professional employees shall demonstrate technological literacy in the areas of word processing, using the Internet, creating graphics, developing a spread sheet, and transferring information from one application to another either by documenting training or by performing technology-related tasks during the interview. 8. All professional employees shall demonstrate excellent communication skills by responding appropriately to the writing portion of the application form and by responding appropriately during the interview. Title I Requirements All teachers employed by the district who teach core academic subjects shall be highly qualified, as defined by federal law and state regulations. Each certificated professional employee employed by the district shall be responsible for maintaining a valid certificate when such certificate is required by law. The principal of a school providing Title I programs to students shall annually attest that professional staff teaching in such programs are highly qualified and paraprofessionals providing instructional support in such programs meet required qualification, in accordance with federal law and state regulations. The written certifications shall be maintained in the district office and the school office and shall be available to the public, upon request. References: School Code – 24 P.S. Sec. 108, 111, 111.1, 1109, 1201 State Board of Education Regulations – 22 PA Code Sec. 4.4, 8.1 et seq., 14.105, 49.1 et seq., 403.2, 403.4, 403.5 Educator Discipline Act – 24 P.S. Sec. 2070.2 Criminal History Record Information Act – 18 Pa. C.S.A. Sec. 9125 Child Protective Services Law – 23 Pa. C.S.A. Sec. 6301 et seq. No Child Left Behind Act – 20 U.S.C. Sec. 6319, 7801 Americans With Disabilities Act – 42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq.