FILE: GBE
Cf: BE
ASSIGNMENT
POSITIONS ASSIGNMENT
The Rapides Parish School Board delegates to the Superintendent or his/her designee the assignment of all teachers, administrators, supervisory personnel, and other employees of the School Board to their respective positions and/or schools. The principal shall have the authority to determine the placement of all teachers or other personnel at the school in which the principal is employed, subject to the approval of the Superintendent. Personnel shall be assigned on the basis of performance, effectiveness, and qualifications applicable to each position.
The appointment of principals and assistant principals, and the assignments of teachers, paraprofessionals and other staff personnel who work directly with students shall be assigned in such a manner, given the percentage of such white and black school-site staff personnel within the employ of the school district, so in no case will the racial composition of a school’s staff indicate that a school is intended for white or black students.
In order to avoid conflicts of interest, or the appearance of same, it is the desire of the School Board that employees not be assigned to a position that would require that employee to be directly supervised by an immediate family member. The above provision, however, does not apply, in accordance with statutory provisions, to an immediate family member of an athletic director of a school, which may employ an immediate family member as a coach where he/she is athletic director. Immediate family members include the person’s children, the spouses of the person’s children, the person’s brothers and their spouses, the person’s sisters and their spouses, parents, spouse, and the parents of the person’s spouse.
For purposes of this policy, principals shall be considered to directly supervise all programs operated at their school; therefore no immediate family member of any principal shall be employed to work in any program operated at his/her school. Also, any department head shall be considered to directly supervise all operations in the department.
Professional Personnel
Consistent with the Rapides Parish School Board’s continuing commitment to provide expanded educational opportunities through existing magnet program schools and its desire to assure that all regular and comprehensive elementary, middle, junior high, and high schools are appropriately staffed, the Rapides Parish School Board adopts the post-unitary status policy regarding the professional staffing of its magnet program and regular and comprehensive elementary, middle, junior high, and high schools.
Definitions
Magnet program schools means Phoenix Academic Magnet Elementary School, Peabody Montessori School, Rosenthal Montessori School, W. O. Hall Magnet Elementary School, Alexandria Middle Magnet School, Arthur F. Smith Middle Magnet School, and Peabody Magnet High School.
Regular and comprehensive schools means all other elementary, middle, junior high and high schools operated by the Rapides Parish School System primarily for the education of regular and special education students. Regular and comprehensive schools do not include alternative schools, adult education or graduate equivalency programs, or pre-kindergarten programs.
Certified teacher at the elementary and middle school levels means a teacher holding a Louisiana Standard Certificate, issued by the Louisiana Department of Education, to teach at the grade level he/she is assigned to teach at the elementary and middle school levels. Certified teacher at the high school level means a teacher holding a Louisiana Standard Certificate, issued by the Louisiana Department of Education, to teach in the subject matter area or areas of certification at the high school level.
Advanced degree means master’s degrees and high advanced degrees or recognized levels of educational attainment above the master’s degree level received from an accredited college or university.
Teacher means classroom teachers, coaches, school counselors, librarians, and resource teachers. Teacher does not include special education teachers, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructors, or persons who may offer course instruction in specialized areas of learning or skill such as physicians, nurses, attorneys, or persons providing training in highly skilled vocational areas.
Magnet Program School Faculties
Only certified teachers, certified to teach at the elementary and middle school levels, shall be assigned to the faculties of the elementary and middle school magnet program schools.
Only certified teachers, certified in subject matter areas taught at the high school level, shall be assigned to the faculty of the high school magnet program school and shall only be assigned to teach in the subject matter area or areas in which they hold certification.
Regular And Comprehensive School Faculties
The remaining number of certified teachers, certified to teach at the elementary and middle school levels, shall be assigned in such a manner as to assure, to the extent practicable, that the faculty of each school serving elementary and middle school level grades is assigned an equal percentage of certified teachers.
The remaining number of certified teachers, certified in subject matter areas taught at the high school level, shall be assigned in such a manner as to assure, to the extent practicable, that the faculty of each high school is assigned an equal percentage of certified teachers assigned to teach in their subject matter area or areas of certification.
Assignment of Teachers with Advanced Degrees
Teachers holding advanced degrees shall be assigned to each magnet program and regular and comprehensive school in such numbers that will assure to the extent practicable an equal assignment, on a percentage basis, of teachers holding advanced degrees.
This subsection has been adopted with a requirement that any revision will require the approval of two-thirds (⅔) majority of the School Board.
CLASS ASSIGNMENT
The principal shall be responsible for assigning teachers to classes within his/her respective school. Except in extenuating circumstances, the principal shall notify teachers of their anticipated assignment for the school year prior to the opening of school. Teachers who wish to request reassignment for the subsequent school year may do so provided such request is submitted prior to the close of the school year. Principals shall give every reasonable consideration to teacher requests for assignment to a particular grade level and/or subject area for which a teacher is certified and qualified.
A teacher shall be notified by the principal of any change in assignment as soon as reasonably possible.
Revised: June, 2012
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 42:1119
Board minutes, 10-11-05, 3-7-06, 6-25-12
Rapides Parish School Board