Resolve, To Expand Access to Foreign Language Instruction in Maine Schools

Emergency preamble. Whereas,  acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and

Whereas,  this legislation must be enacted as an emergency measure in order to retain highly qualified foreign language teachers whose first language is not English in secondary schools; and

Whereas,  in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore, be it

Sec. 1. Modern and classical language teachers. Resolved: That the Department of Education shall amend its rules concerning testing and certification for modern and classical language teachers to authorize provisional certification for an individual whose first language is the target language the individual teaches for as long as the individual is enrolled in a tutorial program to improve the individual's required basic skills in reading and writing and mathematics. Rules amended or adopted under this section are routine technical rules pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.

summary

This bill allows teachers of modern and classical languages whose primary language is not English to retain certification while receiving support to pass the required Praxis test.