Ohio Code 3313.53 – Special instruction departments and schools – pupil-activity programs
(A) As used in this section:
Terms Used In Ohio Code 3313.53
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
(1) “Licensed individual” means an individual who holds a valid educator license, certificate, or permit issued by the state board of education under section 3319.22, 3319.26, or 3319.27 of the Revised Code.
(2) “Nonlicensed individual” means an individual who does not hold a valid educator license, certificate, or permit issued by the state board of education under section 3319.22, 3319.26, or 3319.27 of the Revised Code.
(B) The board of education of any city, exempted village, or local school district may establish and maintain in connection with the public school systems:
(1) Manual training, industrial arts, domestic science, and commercial departments;
(2) Agricultural, industrial, vocational, and trades schools.
Such board may pay from the public school funds, as other school expenses are paid, the expenses of establishing and maintaining such departments and schools and of directing, supervising, and coaching the pupil-activity programs in music, language, arts, speech, government, athletics, and any others directly related to the curriculum.
(C) The board of education of any city, exempted village, or local school district may employ a nonlicensed individual to direct, supervise, or coach a pupil-activity program as long as that individual holds a valid pupil-activity program permit issued by the state board of education under division (A) of section 3319.303 of the Revised Code.
(D)(1) Except as provided in division (D)(2) of this section, a nonlicensed individual who holds a valid pupil-activity program permit may be employed under division (C) of this section only after the school district’s board of education adopts a resolution stating that it has offered such position to those employees of the district who are licensed individuals and no such employee qualified to fill the position has accepted it, and has then advertised the position as available to any licensed individual who is qualified to fill it and who is not employed by the board, and no such person has applied for and accepted the position.
(2) A board of education may renew the contract of any nonlicensed individual, currently employed by the board under division (C) of this section for one or more years, without first offering the position held by that individual to employees of the district who are licensed individuals or advertising the position as available to any qualified licensed individuals who are not currently employed by the board as otherwise required under division (D)(1) of this section.
(E) A nonlicensed individual employed under this section is a nonteaching employee and is not an educational assistant as defined in section 3319.088 of the Revised Code. A nonlicensed individual may direct, supervise, or coach a pupil-activity program under this section as long as that pupil-activity program does not include any class or course required or offered for credit toward a pupil’s promotion to the next grade or for graduation, or any activity conducted as a part of or required for such a class or course. A nonlicensed individual employed under this section may perform only the duties of the director, supervisor, or coach of the pupil-activity program for which the nonlicensed individual is employed.
(F) The board shall fix the compensation of each nonlicensed individual employed under this section, which shall be the same amount as the position was or would be offered to the district’s licensed employees, and execute a written contract with the nonlicensed individual for a term not to exceed one year. The contract shall specify the compensation, duration, and other terms of employment, and the compensation shall not be reduced unless such reduction is a part of a uniform plan affecting the entire district.
If the state board suspends, revokes, or limits the pupil-activity program permit of a nonlicensed individual, the school district board may terminate or suspend the employment contract of that individual. Otherwise, no contract issued under this section shall be terminated or suspended except pursuant to the procedure established by division (C) of section 3319.081 of the Revised Code.