Lewisburg Area School District Policies	Printable version
402.3 Student Teachers/Interns 402.3. STUDENT TEACHERS/INTERNS The Board acknowledges its responsibility to the teaching profession by providing opportunities for student teachers to gain practical school experience through a working relationship with the professional members of the faculty. The Board encourages the use of student teachers in the District's schools and shall work cooperatively with colleges and universities to provide student teachers with quality educational experiences that should enable them to increase their professional skills and competencies. Student teachers and interns shall not be accepted into district schools unless they have had an employment history review conducted and have complied with the mandatory background check requirements for criminal history and child abuse and the district has evaluated the results of those screening processes. Student teachers and interns shall report, on the designated form, arrests and convictions as specified on the form. Candidates shall likewise report arrests and/or convictions that occur subsequent to initially submitting the form. Failure to accurately report such arrests and convictions may subject the individual to denial of acceptance, termination if already accepted, and/or criminal prosecution. Student teachers and interns shall comply with the health examination of the State and Board policies as they apply to district staff. While serving in district schools, student teachers and interns shall be responsible for their conduct to the supervising teacher/administrator and building principal. Arrest Or Conviction Reporting Requirements Prior to being accepted into district schools, student teachers and interns shall report, on the designated form, arrests and convictions as specified on the form. Student teachers and interns shall likewise report arrests and/or convictions that occur subsequent to initially submitting the form. While serving in district schools, student teachers and interns shall use the designated form to report to the Superintendent or designee, within seventy-two (72) hours of the occurrence, an arrest or conviction required to be reported by law. While serving in district schools, a student teacher or intern shall be required to report to the Superintendent or designee, in writing, within seventy-two (72) hours of notification, that s/he has been listed as a perpetrator in the Statewide database, in accordance with the Child Protective Services Law. A student teacher or intern shall be required to submit a current criminal history background check report if the Superintendent or designee has a reasonable belief that the student teacher or intern was arrested or has been convicted of an offense required to be reported by law, and the student teacher or intern has not notified the Superintendent or designee. Failure to accurately report such arrests and convictions may subject the student teacher or intern to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the program and criminal prosecution. The use of student teachers shall be according to the following guidelines. Colleges and universities desiring to place student teachers in the District must submit a planned program of student teaching to the Superintendent or designee for approval in prior to the placement of student teachers. The student teachers shall be treated in a professional manner and shall be expected to perform in like fashion. The student teachers shall follow Board policies. During the period of the student teaching assignment, student teachers must abide by the District's calendar and the school building's daily schedule. The administration, if it should find a student teacher to be unprofessional and a disruptive force, shall have the authority to immediately terminate the relationship of that student teacher with the District. A student teacher may not be used in place of the cooperating teacher or teachers. In the event of the cooperating teacher's absence, a duly certified teacher or principal will have the responsibility of directing and supervising the activities of the student teacher. The Superintendent or designee shall ensure distribution of student teachers throughout the district so that no single group of students or teachers will be subject to excessive student teacher classroom hours. References: School Code – 24 P.S. Sec. 111, 111.1, 1418 State Board of Education Regulations – 22 PA Code Sec. 8.1 et seq. State Department of Health Regulations – 28 PA Code Sec. 23.43, 23.44, 23.45 Child Protective Services Law – 23 Pa. C.S.A. Sec. 6301 et seq. Board Policy – 314