Maryland board moves to publish rule change narrowly allowing temporary licenses for school social workers

The Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board voted on April 3 to grant permission to publish amendments to regulations that would allow a temporary professional license for applicants who meet all requirements for initial licensure except for three semester hours of special education — narrowed by the State Board of Education to apply only to school social workers.

Why it matters: Board members and some advocates said the change is intended to ease hiring during workforce shortages while preserving requirements that ensure educators eventually complete the special-education coursework. The State Board limited the proposed expansion so the temporary license would be available only to applicants covered by the school social worker regulation.

The board heard a public comment in support from Doreen (Dory) Flynn, executive director of the Maryland Association of Non Public Special Education Facilities (MANSA). Flynn told the board that many social work preparation programs do not include a designated special-education course and that limiting hiring because of a missing three-credit special-education course would exclude otherwise qualified candidates.

"The amendment is very limited in scope and is to be applicable to social workers who simply, by the nature of the higher education program they attended, simply did not have the offer of a special education course," Flynn said.

MSDE staff member Kelly explained that the State Board of Education amended the language recommended by the Professional Standards board to focus the temporary-professional-license pathway on school social workers. "If an applicant under regulation 11 of this chapter... has not completed 3 semester hours or obtained 3 state approved CPD credits in special education coursework, but otherwise meets the requirements for initial licensure, a local school system, state operated school, or non public school may request a temporary professional license for that applicant," Kelly said while summarizing the State Board's revision.

Board members debated next steps before the vote. Some members said publishing the narrower proposal would let the agency gather public comment and data showing whether the temporary license should apply more broadly to other specialists and administrators; others voiced concern about creating additional capacity pressures or undermining current program requirements.

Nikki Woodward asked whether publishing for public comment would be "disingenuous" if the board later pressed for broader relief; staff said the public-comment period is meant to surface whether employers outside of school social work report similar shortages. Counsel Sean and staff also outlined procedural options if the two boards remain divided, including forming a joint conference committee to reconcile differences before final adoption.

The board voted to grant permission to publish the package of licensure amendments — the documents addressing issuance of license types, licenses for specialists, and licenses for administrators and supervisors — as currently amended by the State Board of Education. Staff said the publication timeline typically takes 30–60 days to reach the Maryland Register, followed by a 30-day public-comment window. After the comment period the item would return to this board and, if approved, to the State Board for final adoption.

The board requested that staff return with public-comment materials and with supply-and-demand data at future meetings to inform any next steps.

Ending: If adopted after public comment, the change would create a temporary-professional licensure pathway limited to school social workers while leaving the three-credit requirement in place as a condition of converting to full professional licensure.