I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to define school district procedure in accepting and supporting student teachers and interns.
II. GENERAL STATEMENT
A. This policy will provide that an applicant for a student teaching opportunity in the district shall meet all requirements of the cooperating teacher preparation institution for participation in its student teacher program.
B. The school district reserves the right to deny a student teaching opportunity to an applicant who is not qualified, or for whom there is no student teaching position available, or for whom no supervising teacher is available.
C. During the course of the student teaching experience, a student teacher shall be given as many teaching experiences, observation and participation as possible, including primary responsibility for meaningful classroom instruction.
D. A student teacher shall not act as a substitute teacher in the district. This provision shall not be construed to preclude a student teacher from performing teaching services alone in a classroom as a part of the student teaching experience so long as the student teacher remains under general supervision as described in Section F.
E. Supervising teachers shall be expected to mentor, orient, direct and assess the student teachers. The student teacher evaluation shall be submitted to the teacher education institution by the supervising teacher. Availability of the evaluation shall be determined by the teacher education institution.
F. A student teacher shall obey all school district and administrative procedures and directives that include refraining from conduct which could reasonably be expected to substantially and materially disrupt or be deleterious to the education process.
G. A student teacher may be suspended by the district immediately or after a written warning regarding the student teacher's deficiency or conduct has been received by the student teacher and a representative of the teacher education institution.
H. A student teacher shall be deemed an employee of the school district in which he or she is rendering services for purposes of workers compensation, liability insurance and legal counsel.
I. The building/program administrator shall be responsible to determine the employees who may be designated as supervising professionals.
J. A student teacher will not be assigned to non-tenured teacher in the Moorhead Area Public Schools.
K. Student teacher observations will be made on a regular basis by the college/university supervisor and the building level supervising teacher/employee.
L. Student teacher candidates will be screened at the program or building level.
M. Student teachers who have attended Moorhead Area Public Schools or who have been employed previously by the district will not be placed in their former school, with their former teachers, or in classes that contain their children or relatives.
N. Photo identifications and other district property are to be returned to the building administrator at the end of student teaching.