2006 Minnesota Statutes

122A.19 BILINGUAL AND ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHERS;
LICENSES.
    Subdivision 1. Bilingual and English as a second language licenses. The Board of
Teaching, hereinafter the board, must grant teaching licenses in bilingual education and English
as a second language to persons who present satisfactory evidence that they:
(a) Possess competence and communicative skills in English and in another language;
(b) Possess a bachelor's degree or other academic degree approved by the board, and meet
such requirements as to course of study and training as the board may prescribe.
    Subd. 2. Persons holding general teaching licenses. A person holding a general teaching
license who presents the board with satisfactory evidence of competence and communicative
skills in a language other than English may be licensed under this section.
    Subd. 3. Employment of teachers. Teachers employed in a bilingual education or English as
a second language program established pursuant to sections 124D.58 to 124D.64 shall not be
employed to replace any presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be replaced.
    Subd. 4. Teacher preparation programs. For the purpose of licensing bilingual and English
as a second language teachers, the board may approve programs at colleges or universities
designed for their training.
    Subd. 5. Persons eligible for employment. Any person licensed under this section shall
be eligible for employment by a school board as a teacher in a bilingual education or English as
a second language program in which the language for which the person is licensed is taught or
used as a medium of instruction. A board may prescribe only those additional qualifications for
teachers licensed under this section as are approved by the board of teaching.
    Subd. 6. Affirmative efforts in hiring. In hiring for all positions in bilingual education
programs, districts must give preference to and make affirmative efforts to seek, recruit, and
employ persons who are (a) native speakers of the language which is the medium of instruction
in the bilingual education program, and (b) who share the culture of the limited English
speaking children who are enrolled in the program. The district shall provide procedures for the
involvement of the parent advisory committees in designing the procedures for the recruitment,
screening and selection of applicants. This section must not be construed to limit the school
board's authority to hire and discharge personnel.
History: 1977 c 306 s 6; 1980 c 609 art 3 s 4-7; 1986 c 444; 1998 c 397 art 8 s 92-94,101;
art 11 s 3; 1999 c 241 art 9 s 9