281—12.4 (256) School personnel. License/certificate and endorsement standards required in this rule relate to licenses/certificates and endorsements issued by the state board of educational examiners. The following standards shall apply to personnel employed in accredited schools.
	 12.4(1) Instructional professional staff. Each person who holds a license/certificate endorsed for the service for which that person is employed shall be eligible for classification as a member of the instructional professional staff.
	 12.4(2) Noninstructional professional staff. A person who holds a statement of professional recognition, including but not limited to a physician, dentist, nurse, speech therapist, or a person in one of the other noninstructional professional areas designated by the state board of education, shall be eligible for classification as a member of the noninstructional professional staff.
	 12.4(3) Basis for approval of professional staff. Each member of the professional staff shall be classified as either instructional or noninstructional. An instructional professional staff member shall be regarded as approved when holding either an appropriate license/certificate with endorsement or endorsements, or a license/certificate with an endorsement statement, indicating the specific teaching assignments that may be given. A noninstructional professional staff member shall be regarded as approved when holding a statement of professional recognition for the specific type of noninstructional professional school service for which employed.
	 12.4(4) Required administrative personnel. Each board that operates both an elementary school and a secondary school shall employ as its executive officer and chief administrator a person who holds a license/certificate endorsed for service as a superintendent. The board of a school district may meet this requirement by contracting with its area education agency for “superintendency services” as provided by Iowa Code section 273.7A. The individual employed or contracted for as superintendent may serve as an elementary principal or as a high school principal in that school or school district provided that the superintendent holds the proper licensure/certification. For purposes of this subrule, high school means a school which commences with either grade 9 or grade 10, as determined by the board of directors of the school district, or by the governing authority of the nonpublic school in the case of nonpublic schools. Boards of school districts may jointly employ a superintendent, provided such arrangements comply with the provisions of Iowa Code subsection 279.23(4).
	 12.4(5) Staffing policies—elementary schools. The board operating an elementary school shall develop and adopt staffing policies designed to attract, retain, and effectively utilize competent personnel. Each board operating an elementary school shall employ at least one elementary principal. This position may be combined with that of secondary principal or with a teaching assignment at the elementary or secondary level, provided the individual holds the proper licenses/certificates and endorsements.
When grades seven and eight are part of an organized and administered junior high school, the staffing policies adopted by the board for secondary schools shall apply. When grades seven and eight are part of an organized and administered middle school, the staffing policies adopted by the board for elementary schools shall apply.
	 12.4(6) Staffing policies—secondary schools. The board operating a secondary school shall develop and adopt staffing policies designed to attract, retain, and effectively utilize competent personnel. Each board operating a secondary school shall employ at least one secondary principal. This position may be combined with that of elementary principal or with a teaching assignment at the elementary or secondary level, provided the individual holds the proper licenses/certificates and endorsements. This position may be combined with that of superintendent, but one person may not serve as elementary principal, secondary principal, and superintendent.
	 12.4(7) Principal. “Principal” means a licensed/certificated member of a school’s instructional staff who serves as an instructional leader, coordinates the process and substance of educational and instructional programs, coordinates the budget of the school, provides formative evaluation for all practitioners and other persons in the school, recommends or has effective authority to appoint, assign, promote, or transfer personnel in a school building, implements the local school board’s policy in a manner consistent with professional practice and ethics, and assists in the development and supervision of a school’s student activities program.
	 12.4(8) Teacher. A teacher shall be defined as a member of the instructional professional staff who holds a license/certificate endorsed for the type of position in which employed. A teacher diagnoses, prescribes, evaluates, and directs student learnings in terms of the school’s objectives, either singly or in concert with other professional staff members; shares responsibility with the total professional staff for developing educational procedures and student activities to be used in achieving the school’s objectives; supervises educational aides who assist in serving students for whom the teacher is responsible; and evaluates or assesses student progress during and following instruction in terms of the objectives sought, and uses this information to develop further educational procedures.
	 12.4(9) Educational assistant. An educational assistant shall be defined as an employee who, in the presence or absence of an instructional professional staff member but under the direction, supervision, and control of the instructional professional staff, supervises students or assists in providing instructional and other direct educational services to students and their families. An educational assistant shall not substitute for or replace the functions and duties of a teacher as established in subrule 12.4(8).
During the initial year of employment, an educational assistant shall complete staff development approved by the board as provided in subrule 12.7(1).
	 12.4(10) Record of license/certificate or statement of professional recognition. The board shall require each administrator, teacher, support service staff member, and noninstructional professional staff member on its staff to supply evidence that each holds a license/certificate or statement of professional recognition which is in force and valid for the type of position in which employed.
	 12.4(11) Record required regarding teacher and administrative assignments. The board shall require its superintendent or other designated administrator to maintain a file for all regularly employed members of the instructional professional staff, including substitute teachers. The file shall consist of legal licenses/certificates or copies thereof for all members of the instructional professional staff, including substitute teachers, showing that they are eligible for the position in which employed. The official shall also maintain on file a legal license/certificate or statement of professional recognition as defined in subrule 12.4(2) for each member of the noninstructional professional staff. These records shall be on file at the beginning of and throughout each school year and shall be updated annually to reflect all professional growth.
On December 1 of each year, the official shall verify to the department of education the licensure/certification and endorsement status of each member of the instructional and administrative staff. This report shall be on forms provided by the department of education and shall identify all persons holding authorizations and their specific assignment(s) with the authorization(s).
	 12.4(12) Nurses. The board of each school district shall employ a school nurse and shall require a current license to be filed with the superintendent or other designated administrator as specified in subrule 12.4(10).
	 12.4(13) Prekindergarten staff. Prekindergarten teachers shall hold a license/certificate valid for the prekindergarten level. The board shall employ personnel as necessary to provide effective supervision and instruction in the prekindergarten program.
	 12.4(14) Physical examination. Rescinded IAB 2/22/12, effective 3/28/12.
	 12.4(15) Support staff. The board shall develop and implement procedures for the use of educational support staff to augment classroom instruction and to meet individual student needs. These staff members may be employed by the board or by the area education agency.
	 12.4(16) Volunteer. A volunteer shall be defined as an individual who, without compensation or remuneration, provides a supportive role and performs tasks under the direction, supervision, and control of the school or school district staff. A volunteer shall not work as a substitute for or replace the functions and duties of a teacher as established in subrule 12.4(8).
[ARC 0016C, IAB 2/22/12, effective 3/28/12]