Certification Requirements
Education Code §21.003, §21.051
Policy DK (Legal) & DK (Local)

Requirement:
School districts always seek to hire a certified and highly qualified teacher for its open positions. With the current staffing situation, this often presents a challenge. In the event a district cannot locate a certified teacher for a position, or if an educator is teaching a subject outside of their certification, the district must submit a request to the Texas Education Agency. TEA has the flexibility to approve or deny this request. Currently, non-certified professionals cannot be hired or paid without proper credentials on file with the State Board of Education.

Approved Flexibility:
The District will continue to recruit and hire certified and qualified teachers for its vacant positions. However, if a satisfactory candidate is not available, the District would be permitted to:

• Employ an uncertified person.

  • An individual may be eligible to teach any course on a non-certified contract excluding special education, emergent bilingual, and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.

• Allow a certified teacher to teach outside of their certification area or grade level.

• When placing candidates into teaching positions, priority placement includes 

1. 1. Certified educators

   2. Degreed, non-certified educators

   3. Non-degreed, non-certified educators with

      1. at least 60 hours of completed college coursework,

      2. Current licensure by a state or nationally recognized accrediting agency in any approved occupations for the classes taught (eligible military experience may be used in lieu of civilian licensure), or

      3. Passing score on the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI)

   4. Non-degreed, non-certified educators with fewer than 60 hours of completed college coursework and participating in a certification program

The District shall develop minimum required qualifications for individuals hired in the approved flexible manner and will require specific professional development in the areas of student management, instructional strategies, curriculum, and family engagement. 

The District will require the individual to complete certification requirements within a specified time of employment. 

The District will continue to provide notification to parents/guardians of students whose teacher does not hold the traditional teaching certificate in that specific content area.

Probationary Contract
Education Code §21.102
Policy DCA (Legal)

Requirement:
Probationary contracts may not exceed one year for an employee new to the district but who has been employed for at least five of the previous eight years in public education.

Approved Flexibility:
The District  will be able to extend a teacher’s probationary contract to a second year with documentation and a plan for measurable improvement The District receives several important benefits with this flexibility: 

• The new PfISD teacher has access to meaningful professional development.

• Extended support for teachers to ensure professional growth and retention.

• Additional opportunities for campus administrators to observe the teacher, make recommendations for improvement, provide support, and more fully determine the individual’s effectiveness

Staff Development
Education Code §21.451
Policy DMA (Legal & Local)

Requirement:
Texas Education Code Section 21.451 outlines required annual training for all educators.

Approved Flexibility:
The District will provide opportunities for professional learning requirements through regular and ongoing sessions, some of which may be less than annual dependent upon the employee’s years of service and demonstration of mastery knowledge with pre-assessments.

First Day of Instruction 
Education Code §25.0811 
Policy EB (Legal & Local)

Requirement:
A district may not begin instruction for students for a school year before the fourth Monday in August unless the district operates a year-round system (see below). A district may not receive a waiver of this requirement.

Approved Flexibility:
The restriction of a specific start date prohibits the creation of a balanced and student-centered calendar. This exemption would allow the district to determine locally, on an annual basis, what best meets the needs of the students, the school, and the community. PfISD will implement flexibility with its first day of instruction to be scheduled prior to the fourth Monday in August.

The District recognizes that this innovative flexibility provides: 

• A better balance between instructional days during each semester. Currently and in the past, there has been upward of a fifteen day instructional difference between the Fall and Spring semesters.

• More instructional days in advance of standardized assessments, such as Advanced Placement, STAAR and EOC exams.

• Additional instructional time after the last official day of school to provide accelerated instruction for students retaking a STAAR or EOC exam over the summer.

• More flexibility to offer a full array of dual credit courses and better serve students, thus working more collaboratively with our institutions of higher education.

• More balanced distribution of instructional time for one-semester coursework, as students who currently take a one-semester course in the fall have fewer instructional days to master course content than students who take the same one-semester course in the spring.

The District shall ensure that winter break serves as the midpoint of the school year, adjustments to the student & staff calendars are budget-neutral, and school start date will be limited to the month of August. The District Academic Advisory Council (DAAC) shall take staff, parent, guardian, student, and community survey data and other practical concerns into consideration during the development of the instructional calendar. Instructional calendars will reflect at least 75,600 minutes of time allocated for instruction, intermissions, and recesses for students.

Transfer of Student
Education Code §25.036
Policy FDA (Local)

Requirement:
A district may choose to accept students who are not entitled to enroll in the district through the student transfer process. The transfer time frame is interpreted to be a period of one school year.

Approved Flexibility:
The District will be able to revoke a student’s transfer during the academic year based on disciplinary infractions, Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) placements, expulsions, and/or attendance. If any information is misrepresented in the transfer application or any transfer documentation, the student transfer may also be revoked.

Designation of Campus Behavior Coordinator
Education Code §37.0012
Policy FO (Legal) 

Requirement:
Senate Bill 107 requires the designation of a campus behavior coordinator on each campus. This designee is responsible for maintaining student discipline and the implementation of Chapter 37, Subchapter A.

Approved Flexibility:
The District will utilize a collaborative approach to student discipline on the campuses rather than have a single designated person. Principals will create a system where duties are shared among the administrative staff. This allows a more personal and effective approach to student discipline and better communication with parents. This should also decrease time out of the classroom which results in loss of instruction.

Student Health Advisory Council
Education Code §28.004
Policy BDF (Legal), EHAA (Legal)

Requirement:
The board shall establish a local school health advisory council (SHAC) to assist the district in ensuring that local community values are reflected in the district's health education instruction.

Approved Flexibility:
The District will utilize flexibility to operate its Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) as a subcommittee of the District’s site-based decision-making team, the District Academic Advisory Council (DAAC). Membership for the SHAC includes parents, guardians, classroom teachers, counselors, administrators, students, health care professionals, and community members representing PfISD as a whole. The SHAC subcommittee will meet at least annually and will review these components of the student health programs in PfISD:

• Physical activity and fitness among students

• Health education curriculum and instruction, including human sexuality instruction

• Policies & procedures to promote physical & mental health including:

  • Coordinated School Health Programs

  • Physical education

  • Health education

  • Nutrition services

  • Parental involvement

  • Instruction on substance abuse prevention

  • School health services, including mental health services

  • Comprehensive school counseling program

  • Safe & healthy school environment

  • School employee wellness 

  • Character education