SERIES 4000: DISTRICT EMPLOYMENT
4400 Professional Staff
4401 Definition
A. General
Professional Staff primarily perform work that requires advanced knowledge or work that is intellectual in nature, consistent with the FLSA’s definition of “professional.” The Professional Staff member’s area of expertise is related to learning or comes from prolonged course of study, including teachers and Non-Teaching Professionals, but excluding Administrators/Supervisors (as defined under Policy 4501) and the Superintendent (as defined under Policy 4601).
B. Teachers
Teachers are professional persons who provide or direct instruction to students and must be appropriately qualified and certified for the assigned teaching position, consistent with federal and state law and District Policies. Each teacher shall maintain required qualifications and certification as a condition of that teacher’s continued employment.
A classroom teacher employed by the District must: (1) have a valid Michigan teaching certificate or authorization to teach under the law (see Revised School Code Section 1233b); and (2) be assigned by the District to deliver direct instruction to students as a teacher of record.
A teacher must promptly notify the Superintendent or designee, in writing, if the teacher’s certification or authorization expires, is revoked, or nullified. Failure to provide this written notice, whether willfully or negligently, may result in discipline, including discharge.
C. Non-Teaching Professionals
Non-Teaching Professionals are “other Professional Staff” who are not teachers and who meet the professional exemption under the FLSA, such as counselors (i.e., those counselors who are not certified teachers), social workers, teacher consultants, behavior specialists, speech pathologists (i.e. who are not certified teachers), physical or occupational therapists, nurses, and psychologists. A Non-Teaching Professional is not required by law to hold a teaching certificate or authorization for the assigned duties. Each Non-Teaching Professional must be qualified and certified as required by the Board or federal and state law. Each Non-Teaching Professional must maintain those qualifications and certifications as a condition of that person’s continued employment.
A Non-Teaching Professional must promptly notify the Superintendent or designee, in writing, if the person’s certification, license, or endorsement expires, is revoked, or nullified. Failure to provide this written notice, whether willfully or negligently, may result in discipline, including discharge.
Legal authority: 29 USC 201 et seq.; MCL 38.81 et seq.; MCL 380.1231, 380.1233, 380.1233b, 380.1236, 380.1237
Date adopted: 08/09/2021
Dated revised: 06/19/2023
