Title 14, Education, Libraries, and Museums

Notwithstanding AS 14.20.020(b), a person may be issued a limited certificate, valid only in the area of expertise for which it is issued, to teach Alaska Native language or culture, military science, or a vocational or technical course for which the board determines by regulatio…

Notwithstanding AS 14.20.010 — 14.20.040, the department may not issue a teacher certificate under AS 14.20.020 or a limited teacher certificate under AS 14.20.025 unless the applicant has supplied the department with the applicant's social security number. Upon request, the depa…

(a) The commissioner or the Professional Teaching Practices Commission may revoke or suspend a certificate only for the following reasons: (1) incompetency, which is defined as the inability or the unintentional or intentional failure to perform the teacher's customary teaching d…

In evaluating an applicant for a position in a district or regional educational attendance area, a district or regional educational attendance area shall give preference to those applicants who demonstrate training or experience that establishes that the applicant is likely to be…

AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act) applies to all proceedings under AS 14.20.030, and revocations and suspensions are final and reviewable in accordance with AS 44.62.560 — 44.62.570.

A bylaw or regulation of the commissioner, a school board, or local school administrator may not restrict or modify the right of a teacher to engage in comment and criticism outside school hours, regarding school personnel, members of the governing body of any school or school di…

Each governing body shall allow its teachers in school facilities with four or more teachers a daily duty-free mealtime of at least 30 minutes reasonably scheduled during the middle of the teacher's workday.

A school board, or a member of a school board, may not require or compel a person applying for the position of teacher in the public schools of the state to state a religious or political affiliation.

A person violating AS 14.20.100 is punishable by a fine of not more than $100.

A statement of the qualifications of each teacher and superintendent employed by the state or a school district shall be filed with the commissioner. The statement must contain the credits earned in college, normal school, or university, and the number of years of teaching experi…

An employer may, after January 1, issue contracts for the following school year to employees regularly qualified in accordance with the regulations of the department. The contract for a superintendent may be for more than one school year but may not exceed three consecutive schoo…

(a) Subject to (b) - (d) of this section, a school district may reemploy a member who is retired under a retirement plan established in AS 14.25.009 - 14.25.220, or a member who is retired under a retirement plan established in AS 14.25.310 - 14.25.590. In this subsection, "schoo…

(a) If a teacher who has acquired tenure rights is to be laid off under AS 14.20.177 or is not to be retained for the following school year, the employer shall notify the teacher of the layoff or nonretention by writing, delivered before May 15, or by registered mail postmarked b…

If notification of nonretention or layoff is not given according to AS 14.20.140, a teacher is entitled to be reemployed in the same district for the following school year on the contract terms the teacher and the employer may agree upon, or, if no terms are agreed upon, the prov…

(a) When an attendance area is transferred from a currently operating district to, or absorbed into, a new or existing school district, the teachers for the attendance area also shall be transferred unless otherwise mutually agreed by the teacher or teachers and the chief school …

When a teacher is involuntarily transferred or reassigned to a position for which the teacher is qualified, within the district, the teacher's moving expenses shall be paid unless the one-way driving distance is 20 miles or less from the teacher's present place of residence, or u…

(a) A school board shall adopt a certificated employee evaluation system for evaluation and improvement of the performance of the district's teachers and administrators. The evaluation system applies to all the district's certificated employees except the district's superintenden…

(a) Except as provided in (c) or (d) of this section, a teacher acquires tenure rights in a district when the teacher (1) possesses a valid teaching certificate that authorizes the teacher to be employed as a certificated teacher or as an administrator under regulations adopted b…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a teacher who has acquired tenure rights has the right to employment within the district during continuous service. (b) A teacher who has acquired tenure rights may agree to a new contract at any time. However, if the teacher fail…

Continuation of the provisions of a teacher's contract under AS 14.20.145 or 14.20.155 does not (1) affect the alteration of the teacher's salary in accordance with the salary schedule prescribed by state law, or in accordance with a local salary schedule applicable to all teache…

Tenure rights are lost when the teacher's employment in the district is interrupted or terminated. However, a teacher on layoff status does not lose tenure rights during the period of layoff except as provided under AS 14.20.177.

A teacher who held tenure rights and who was retired due to disability under AS 14.25.130, but whose disability (1) has been removed, and the removal of that disability is certified by a competent physician following a physical or mental examination, or (2) has been compensated f…

(a) A teacher, including a teacher who has acquired tenure rights, may be dismissed at any time only for the following causes: (1) incompetency, which is defined as the inability or the unintentional or intentional failure to perform the teacher's customary teaching duties in a s…

(a) A teacher who has not acquired tenure rights is subject to nonretention for the school year following the expiration of the teacher's contract for any cause that the employer determines to be adequate. However, at the teacher's request, the teacher is entitled to a written st…

(a) A school district may implement a layoff plan under this section if it is necessary for the district to reduce the number of tenured teachers because (1) school attendance in the district has decreased; or (2) the basic need of the school district determined under AS 14.17.41…

(a) Before a teacher is dismissed, the employer shall give the teacher written notice of the proposed dismissal and a pretermination hearing. A pretermination hearing under this section must comport with the minimum requirements of due process, including an explanation of the emp…

A school board or the department may adopt teacher tenure bylaws not in conflict with the regulations of the department or state law.

In AS 14.20.010 — 14.20.215, (1) “continuous employment” means employment that is without interruption except for temporary absences approved by the employer or its designee, or except for the interval between consecutive school terms if the teacher is employed only for the month…

(a) In January of each year, a district or the department, as applicable, may pay an incentive payment of $5,000 to each teacher who is employed by the district or the department and who holds a current and valid national board certification. (b) A district or the department, as …

A teacher who has rendered active service for seven or more years in a district is eligible for sabbatical leave. Sabbatical leave may be taken for educational purposes only, and for not more than one school year.

A teacher who wishes to take sabbatical leave shall apply to the governing body of the school district. The teacher shall submit information showing qualifications for sabbatical leave and a plan for education during the leave.

(a) The governing body of the school district has the responsibility for selection of the teachers to be granted sabbatical leave. (b) In selecting teachers for sabbatical leave, the governing body shall consider the benefit that the school district will derive from the proposed …

(a) The number of teachers eligible for sabbatical leave that may be allowed under AS 14.20.280 — 14.20.350 is as follows: (1) not more than one-half of one percent of the total number of teachers from all borough and city school districts and regional educational attendance area…

Upon the return of a teacher to the teaching position, the teacher shall make a report to the governing body concerning educational accomplishments. A teacher who does not serve for at least a full year after returning shall refund to the school board money paid to the teacher un…

(a) Unless it is otherwise agreed, a teacher returning from sabbatical leave shall return to the position occupied by that teacher when the sabbatical leave began. (b) A sabbatical leave is not an interruption of the continuous service necessary to attain or retain tenure under A…

To determine eligibility for sabbatical leave, tours of military service and leaves of absence granted before July 1, 1963, are not considered years of active service.

(a) A teacher may be granted a leave of absence without pay for the purposes which may be approved by the governing body of the district if (1) the teacher's application is approved by the governing body of the district; and (2) the teacher agrees to return to employment in a pub…

In AS 14.20.280 — 14.20.350, “teacher” means a certificated member of the teaching, supervisory, or administrative corps in the public schools of the state.

Teachers required by state law to be certificated, instructors in institutions of higher learning, school administrators, school program administrators, and school counselors are within the teaching profession.

There is a commission of professional educators known as the Professional Teaching Practices Commission.

The commission consists of nine members appointed by the governor and confirmed by a majority of the members of the legislature in joint session. Each member, in addition to having been actively engaged in the teaching profession for at least five years immediately preceding appo…

The commission consists of the following members: (1) five classroom teachers; (2) one principal; (3) one superintendent; (4) one representative of the office of the commissioner; (5) one representative of an Alaska institution of higher learning.

(a) Members of the commission shall be selected as follows: (1) the five classroom teachers from lists of names submitted by recognized Alaska teachers' organizations, each list not to exceed 12 names; however, in lieu of one of the five, one classroom teacher may be selected fro…

(a) The term of office for each member of the commission is three years and, except as provided in AS 39.05.080(4), each member serves until a successor is appointed. (b) Vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the governor and, except as provided in AS 39.05.080(4), an appoi…

Any member may be removed by the governor for misconduct, malfeasance or nonfeasance in office, or incapacity.