Section 4.12.300. Certification of teachers.

	(a)  A teacher in a public school must be at least 18 years of age, and must hold a valid teacher certificate issued under this chapter unless the teacher is participating in an approved exchange program under 4 AAC 30.010.  
	(b)  A teacher applying for a teacher certificate must submit  
		(1) a completed application; the application must be signed and notarized;  
		(2) official transcripts of all college work;  
		(3) the certificate fee;  
		(4) one completed fingerprint card, with fingerprinting performed by a law enforcement agency or a person who has been trained in recording fingerprints, for separate submittal to the Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the department will accept a name-based criminal history background check on a person from the agency performing the background check if the requirements of AS 14.20.020(j) are met; and  
		(5) the official scores demonstrating that the applicant meets or exceeds the qualifying scores for the state on one of the competency examinations designated in 4 AAC 12.310.  
	(c)  Transcripts and other required documents become a part of the teacher's permanent records and remain on file with the          department.  
	(d)  The department will date certificates as of the date the completed application, transcripts, experience record, and fee are received. A certificate remains effective until the expiration date indicated on the certificate.  
	(e)  Except as provided in AS 14.20.010, the state will not, and a school district may not, pay a salary to any teacher who does not hold a valid teacher certificate for this state.  
	(f)  Nonpublic schools which employ noncertificated teachers will not be approved by the state, or if approved, will be dropped from the register of approved schools.  
	(g)   Unless otherwise provided in this section, fees must be paid at the time of application and are nonrefundable. The fee for   
		(1)  initial issuance of a teacher certificate, including all endorsements, is $200, plus the cost of a criminal history background check required under (b)(4) of this section;  
		(2)  renewal of a teacher certificate, including all endorsements, is $200, plus the cost of a criminal history background check required under 4 AAC 12.405(b);  
		(3)  addition or deletion of an endorsement, other than at the time of initial issuance of the certificate is $200;  
		(4)  a certified copy of a teacher certificate is $25; and  
		(5)  each nonacademic credit is $50 payable at the time supporting documentation required by 4 AAC 12.410(a) is submitted to the department.  
	(h)  An applicant for a certificate shall, on the application, disclose a suspension or revocation of a certificate by this or another state. A teacher who has been issued a certificate by this state shall immediately notify the department of suspension or revocation of a certificate issued by another state. Failure to inform the department of a suspension or revocation as required by this subsection may result in denial or revocation of a certificate.  
	(i)  Any misrepresentations or willful omission of information on a certification application may result in denial or revocation of the certificate.  
	(j)  The department may deny an application for issuance or renewal of a teacher certificate for any reason that is cause for revocation or suspension under AS 14.20.030.  
	(k)  The cost to an applicant for a criminal history background check is the amount charged to the department by the Department of Public Safety as set out in 13 AAC 68.900.  
	(l)  In place of the information required of an applicant by (b)(4) of this section, the department will accept the results of a successful criminal history background check of the applicant conducted under 4 AAC 30.020(b) if the applicant submits an application to the department under (b) of this section not later than   
		(1) 60 days after the applicant's last day of student teaching; and  
		(2) 18 months after the date of the department's notification that the applicant passed the criminal history background check conducted under 4 AAC 30.020(b).  

Authorities

14.07.060;14.20.010;14.20.020;14.20.030

Notes

Reference

4 AAC 12.346
4 AAC 12.360
4 AAC 12.370
4 AAC 12.372
4 AAC 12.375
4 AAC 12.380
4 AAC 12.405
4 AAC 30.020

Authority

AS 14.07.060 AS 14.20.010 AS 14.20.020 AS 14.20.030 Editor's note: The subject matter of 4 AAC 12.300 was formerly located at 4 AAC 12.010. The history note for 4 AAC 12.300 does not reflect the history of the earlier section.

History

Eff. 9/29/2005, Register 175; am 9/30/2005, Register 175; am 12/20/2005, Register 176; am 9/20/2006, Register 179; am 6/7/2015, Register 214; am 4/24/2016, Register 218

References

4.12.300;4.12.010