Emergency rule to give Nevada teachers more time to pass course

Gov. Brian Sandoval filed an emergency regulation on Thursday to provide relief for Nevada teachers who are in jeopardy of losing their jobs by failing to complete a state-mandated course.

Affected employees will have two more years to fulfill the requirement, according to a copy of the regulation sent to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

That’s more in line with how previous provisions were handled, according to a letter submitted with the regulation changes. State Superintendent Steve Canavero requested the change, which was signed off on by Sandoval.

It wasn’t clear whether other steps are necessary to put the emergency regulation into effect or to make it permanent.

“This narrow request would not change any underlying law or regulation protecting the safety of students, rather it simply aligns regulation timelines with existing law and provides up to an additional two years for otherwise qualified individuals to meet all Nevada requirements while being employed in public schools,” Canavero wrote.

The governor began looking at proposed emergency regulations Wednesday after the Review-Journal brought the issue to light the same day. By Thursday afternoon, the governor had filed emergency regulations with the secretary of state’s office, spokeswoman Mary-Sarah Kinner confirmed.

State law requires Nevada teachers to take and pass a state-approved college-level course on parent and family engagement. The three-credit course takes a full semester.

The Review-Journal reported earlier this week that as many as 900 educators were at risk of losing their provisional licenses if they failed to complete the course.

Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MeghinDelaney on Twitter.