Department of Education certification staff told participants that the office lacks legal authority to change an educator’s certificate without the educator’s request, and that certain candidate or mentor credential problems may require denial and an appeal rather than an administrative fix.

"The teaching certificate is the legal property of an educator, and our office does not have the legal authority to make any changes to a certificate that the educator did not request," Rachel Norman said in response to a chat question asking whether staff can consider a higher certificate when an educator selected "extend" rather than "request hire."

In a separate exchange, Emily (identified as "Emily with Apple") asked about private-school candidates whose employers do not have mentor-certified staff. Department staff said individualized assistance is available, but if a mentor did not hold an approved mentor certification pathway and a mentor waiver was not applied, the likely administrative route is to apply for certification, receive denial, and then appeal to the Teacher Certification Appeals Council (TSSAC), which hears cases individually.

Rachel and others referenced the policy bulletins the office follows when deciding certification requests. "We will be obligated to deny that educator's request ... and then that individual will have to go before the teacher certification appeals council," staff said, citing the applicable bulletins that govern certification review.

Staff advised providers to use the new LEC portal checks to catch gaps earlier (for example, verifying mentor credentials before issuing recommendations) to reduce the number of denials that lead to appeals. They also encouraged preparation providers and districts to coordinate before an application is routed in order to avoid repeated residency or mentoring requirements for candidates whose documentation is incomplete.