AB49 - Revises provisions relating to educational personnel. (BDR 34-519)

- 83rd Session (2025) Assembly Bill No. 49–Committee on Education CHAPTER.......... AN ACT relating to educational personnel; authorizing a person who holds a license to teach in another state to be hired as a teacher in this State on a certain provisional basis if he or she satisfies certain requirements; requiring the Commission on Professional Standards in Education to prescribe certain regulations concerning the licensure of teachers, school counselors, school nurses and school social workers; eliminating the authority of the State Board of Education to disapprove of regulations adopted by the Commission; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law creates the Commission on Professional Standards in Education and requires the Commission to prescribe regulations for licensing teachers and other educational personnel. (NRS 391.011, 391.019) Under existing law, such regulations are required to provide for the reciprocal licensure of educational personnel from other states. (NRS 391.032) Section 1 of this bill authorizes the board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter school to employ as a teacher, on a provisional basis not to exceed 1 year, a person not licensed as a teacher in this State if the person: (1) holds a license in good standing from another state; (2) has submitted an application to receive a license to teach in this State; and (3) has completed the background investigation the employing school district is required to conduct. Section 1 additionally requires a school district or charter school to, at the time such a person is hired, report the hiring to the Department of Education. Section 2 of this bill requires that the regulations adopted by the Commission also prescribe qualifications for a person to use work experience or a license in an area of career and technical education to receive an endorsement in career and technical education without repeating certain requirements. Additionally, section 2 requires such regulations to authorize a person who is employed by a public school to provide support and other services relating to school counseling and is enrolled in a program that would allow the person to obtain a license or endorsement as a school counselor to simultaneously complete any required internship or practicum hours for the purpose of obtaining such a license or endorsement. Section 2 also requires such regulations to authorize a person to serve as a school nurse or school social worker without the applicable endorsement if the person: (1) has applied for such an endorsement and is awaiting the issuance or denial of the endorsement; and (2) holds certain valid licenses issued by the State Board of Nursing or the Board of Examiners for Social Workers, as applicable. Furthermore, section 2 provides that such regulations adopted by the Commission must require a school district who employs such a person to, at the time the person is hired, report the hiring to the Department. Section 4 of this bill makes a conforming change to authorize such a registered nurse to be employed as a school nurse without an endorsement as a school nurse. Existing law authorizes the State Board of Education to disapprove of any regulation that is adopted by the Commission on Professional Standards in Education. (NRS 391.027) Section 4.5 of this bill eliminates the authority of the State Board to take such an action. Sections 2, 2.3 and 2.7 of this bill make – 2 – - 83rd Session (2025) conforming changes to remove references to this authority in other provisions of law. EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Chapter 391 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to read as follows: 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter school may, on a provisional basis not to exceed 1 year, employ as a teacher a person who is not licensed to teach pursuant to this chapter if the person: (a) Is licensed in good standing as a teacher in another state; (b) Has submitted an application for the issuance of a license to teach pursuant to this chapter; (c) Is employed to teach in a position that corresponds to the license of the teacher in the other state; (d) Complies with the requirements of NRS 391.104; and (e) Is not otherwise prohibited from being employed as a teacher in this State. 2. A school district or charter school which employs a teacher pursuant to subsection 1 shall, at the time such a teacher is hired, report the hiring of the teacher to the Department. Sec. 2. NRS 391.019 is hereby amended to read as follows: 391.019 1. [Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.027, the] The Commission shall adopt regulations: (a) Prescribing the qualifications for licensing teachers and other educational personnel and the procedures for the issuance and renewal of those licenses. The regulations: (1) Must include, without limitation, the qualifications for licensing teachers and administrators pursuant to an alternative route to licensure which provides that the required education and training may be provided by any qualified provider which has been approved by the Commission, including, without limitation, institutions of higher education and other providers that operate independently of an institution of higher education. The regulations adopted pursuant to this subparagraph must: (I) Establish the requirements for approval as a qualified provider; – 3 – - 83rd Session (2025) (II) Require a qualified provider to be selective in its acceptance of students; (III) Require a qualified provider to provide in-person or virtual supervised, school-based experiences and ongoing support for its students, such as mentoring and coaching; (IV) Significantly limit the amount of course work required or provide for the waiver of required course work for students who achieve certain scores on tests; (V) Allow for the completion in 2 years or less of the education and training required under the alternative route to licensure; (VI) Provide that a person who has completed the education and training required under the alternative route to licensure and who has satisfied all other requirements for licensure may apply for a regular license pursuant to sub-subparagraph (VII) regardless of whether the person has received an offer of employment from a school district, charter school or private school; and (VII) Upon the completion by a person of the education and training required under the alternative route to licensure and the satisfaction of all other requirements for licensure, provide for the issuance of a regular license to the person pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter. (2) Must require an applicant for a license to teach middle school or junior high school education or secondary education to demonstrate proficiency in a field of specialization or area of concentration by successfully completing course work prescribed by the Department or completing a subject matter competency examination prescribed by the Department with a score deemed satisfactory. (3) Must not prescribe qualifications which are more stringent than the qualifications set forth in NRS 391.0315 for a licensed teacher who applies for an additional license in accordance with that section. (4) Must prescribe qualifications for the receipt of a secondary license with an endorsement in career and technical education that authorize an applicant to use work experience or a license in an area of career and technical education to satisfy requirements on the application if he or she has previously listed the information on an application for such a license that is no longer valid. (b) Identifying fields of specialization in teaching which require the specialized training of teachers. – 4 – - 83rd Session (2025) (c) Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.125, requiring teachers to obtain from the Department an endorsement in a field of specialization to be eligible to teach in that field of specialization. (d) Setting forth the educational requirements a teacher must satisfy to qualify for an endorsement in each field of specialization. (e) Setting forth the qualifications and requirements for obtaining a license or endorsement to teach American Sign Language, including, without limitation, being registered with the Aging and Disability Services Division of the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to NRS 656A.100 to engage in the practice of sign language interpreting in a primary or secondary educational setting. (f) Requiring teachers and other educational personnel to be registered with the Aging and Disability Services Division pursuant to NRS 656A.100 to engage in the practice of sign language interpreting in a primary or secondary educational setting if they: (1) Provide instruction or other educational services; and (2) Concurrently engage in the practice of sign language interpreting, as defined in NRS 656A.060. (g) Prescribing course work on parental involvement and family engagement. The Commission shall: (1) Work in cooperation with the Office of Parental Involvement and Family Engagement created by NRS 385.630 in developing the regulations required by this paragraph. (2) Establish standards for professional development training which may be used to satisfy any course work requirement prescribed pursuant to this paragraph. (h) Establishing the requirements for obtaining an endorsement on the license of a teacher, administrator or other educational personnel in cultural competency. (i) Authorizing the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a license by endorsement to an applicant who holds an equivalent license or authorization issued by a governmental entity in another country if the Superintendent determines that the qualifications for the equivalent license or authorization are substantially similar to those prescribed pursuant to paragraph (a). (j) Establishing the requirements for obtaining an endorsement on the license of a teacher, administrator or other educational personnel in teaching courses relating to financial literacy. (k) Authorizing a person who is employed as a paraprofessional and enrolled in a program to become a teacher to complete an accelerated program of student teaching in the same or a – 5 – - 83rd Session (2025) substantially similar area in which the person is employed as a paraprofessional while remaining employed as a paraprofessional. (l) Requiring the Department to accept a program of student teaching or other teaching experience completed in another state or foreign country by an applicant for a license if the Department determines that the program or experience substantially fulfills the standards of a program of student teaching in this State. (m) Authorizing a person who is employed by a public school to provide support or other services relating to [school] : (1) School psychology, if the person does not hold a license or endorsement as a school psychologist but is enrolled in a program that would allow the person to obtain such a license or endorsement, to complete a program of internship in school psychology while remaining employed in such a position. (2) School counseling, if the person does not hold a license or endorsement as a school counselor but is enrolled in a program that would allow the person to obtain such a license or endorsement, to complete any required program of internship or practicum hours to obtain such a license or endorsement while remaining employed in such a position. (n) Authorizing a person who has applied for an endorsement as a school nurse or school social worker to, during the pendency of such application: (1) Serve as a school nurse without an endorsement as a school nurse if he or she holds a valid license as a registered nurse issued by the State Board of Nursing; or (2) Serve as a school social worker without an endorsement as a school social worker if he or she holds a valid license as a social worker issued by the Board of Examiners for Social Workers. (o) To carry out the provisions of NRS 391B.010. 2. [Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.027, the] The Commission may adopt such other regulations as it deems necessary for its own government or to carry out its duties. 3. Any regulation which increases the amount of education, training or experience required for licensing: (a) Must, in addition to the requirements for publication in chapter 233B of NRS, be publicized before its adoption in a manner reasonably calculated to inform those persons affected by the change. (b) Must not become effective until at least 1 year after the date it is adopted by the Commission. – 6 – - 83rd Session (2025) (c) Is not applicable to a license in effect on the date the regulation becomes effective. 4. Any regulations adopted by the Commission pursuant to paragraphs (m) and (n) of subsection 1 must require a school district which hires a person pursuant to such regulations to, at the time the person is hired, report the hiring to the Department. Sec. 2.3. NRS 391.021 is hereby amended to read as follows: 391.021 1. [Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.027, the] The Commission shall adopt regulations governing examinations for the initial licensing of teachers and other educational personnel. The regulations adopted by the Commission must ensure that the examinations test the ability of the applicant to teach and the applicant’s knowledge of each specific subject he or she proposes to teach. 2. When adopting regulations pursuant to subsection 1, the Commission shall consider including any alternative means of demonstrating competency for persons with a disability or health- related need that the Commission determines are necessary and appropriate. 3. The regulations adopted by the Commission pursuant to subsection 1 must authorize an applicant to be exempt from any requirement to pass a competency test in basic reading, writing and mathematics if the applicant submits to the Department evidence that, after not passing a competency test in basic reading, writing and mathematics at the level of competence specified by the Commission, the applicant began and completed, with a grade of B or [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]