Missus Dorman addressed the board during a public hearing to request permission to apply for waivers from South Dakota administrative rules governing teacher reciprocity for international educators.

Dorman said state rules require an educator seeking reciprocity to hold a teaching license in their home country and to have at least three years’ teaching experience. She explained many international teachers come from countries without licensing agencies and rely on college degrees and diplomas for credentialing. The waiver request asks the district to seek flexibility on the home-country license requirement and to accept the candidate’s two years of teaching experience plus one year as an Amity intern as meeting the experience expectation.

The board opened the public hearing; no members of the public spoke. After closing the hearing, the board moved and approved a motion to permit the district to apply for the administrative-rule waivers. The motion passed by voice vote; no roll-call counts were recorded.

The approval allows staff to pursue the waiver process with the South Dakota Department of Education. The board did not take final licensing action at this meeting; the approval was to submit the waiver application.