Teachers are occasionally placed in an instructional position for which they have not completed all of the requirements to earn certification from the Florida Department of Education. Teachers, for example who move from another state, may be listed as out-of-field until their records are reviewed by FLDOE or until they take a Florida certification exam. Teachers who are listed as out-of-field are required to work toward certification according to Department of Education requirements.
All students in the classroom of a teacher who is out-of-field must be notified in writing. If your child is placed in the classroom of a teacher who is listed as out-of-field on the school’s website or in the school’s newsletter, you have the right to request that your child be transferred to an in-field teacher’s classroom who is teaching within the school and grade the student in currently enrolled in the field in which they are certified.
To make this request, a parent must write a letter addressed and delivered to the principal of the school stating their child’s name and grade, the name of the out-of-field teacher and the subject area for which the teacher is out-of-field. In this letter, the parent shall request that their child be transferred to an in-field teacher’s classroom in the same grade and school which the child is currently attending. The principal must respond within a reasonable period of time, not to exceed two weeks, if an in-field teacher for that course is employed by the school and if the transfer does not violate maximum class size according to Florida State Statutes and Constitution. The parent does not have the right to choose a specific teacher. If the request for transfer is denied, for any reason, the school must notify the parent and specify the reasons for denial. (Florida Statute 1012.42)
The list of all out-of-field teachers is listed on the District’s website and is updated as soon as teachers are hired and identified as out-of-field. Okeechobee County School District recruits and hires the best teachers possible and work to insure that all teachers meet certification requirements for the subject they are teaching as quickly as possible.
