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- 83rd Session (2025)
Assembly Bill No. 49–Committee on Education
CHAPTER..........
AN ACT relating to educational personnel; authorizing a person
who holds a license to teach in another state to be hired as a
teacher in this State on a certain provisional basis if he or she
satisfies certain requirements; requiring the Commission on
Professional Standards in Education to prescribe certain
regulations concerning the licensure of teachers, school
counselors, school nurses and school social workers;
eliminating the authority of the State Board of Education to
disapprove of regulations adopted by the Commission; and
providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law creates the Commission on Professional Standards in Education
and requires the Commission to prescribe regulations for licensing teachers and
other educational personnel. (NRS 391.011, 391.019) Under existing law, such
regulations are required t o provide for the reciprocal licensure of educational
personnel from other states. (NRS 391.032) Section 1 of this bill authorizes the
board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter school to
employ as a teacher , on a provisional basis not to exceed 1 year, a person not
licensed as a teacher in this State if the person: (1) holds a license in good standing
from another state; (2) has submitted an application to receive a license to teach in
this State; and (3) has completed the ba ckground investigation the employing
school district is required to conduct. Section 1 additionally requires a school
district or charter school to, at the time such a person is hired, report the hiring to
the Department of Education.
Section 2 of this b ill requires that the regulations adopted by the Commission
also prescribe qualifications for a person to use work experience or a license in an
area of career and technical education to receive an endorsement in career and
technical education without repe ating certain requirements. Additionally, section 2
requires such regulations to authorize a person who is employed by a public school
to provide support and other services relating to school counseling and is enrolled
in a program that would allow the person to obtain a license or endorsement as a
school counselor to simultaneously complete any required internship or practicum
hours for the purpose of obtaining such a license or endorsement. Section 2 also
requires such regulations to authorize a person to serve as a school nurse or school
social worker without the applicable endorsement if the person: (1) has applied for
such an endorsement and is awaiting the issuance or denial of the endorsement; and
(2) holds certain valid licenses issued by the State Board of Nursing or the Board of
Examiners for Socia l Workers, as applicable. Furthermore, section 2 provides that
such regulations adopted by the Commission must require a school district who
employs such a person to, at the time the person is hired, report the hiring to the
Department. Section 4 of this b ill makes a conforming change to authorize such a
registered nurse to be employed as a school nurse without an endorsement as a
school nurse.
Existing law authorizes the State Board of Education to disapprove of any
regulation that is adopted by the Commi ssion on Professional Standards in
Education. (NRS 391.027) Section 4.5 of this bill eliminates the authority of the
State Board to take such an action. Sections 2, 2.3 and 2.7 of this bill make
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conforming changes to remove references to this authority in other provisions of
law.
EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Chapter 391 of NRS is hereby amended by adding
thereto a new section to read as follows:
1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the board of
trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter
school may, on a provisional basis not to exceed 1 year, employ as
a teacher a person who is not licensed to teach pursuant to t his
chapter if the person:
(a) Is licensed in good standing as a teacher in another state;
(b) Has submitted an application for the issuance of a license
to teach pursuant to this chapter;
(c) Is employed to teach in a position that corresponds to the
license of the teacher in the other state;
(d) Complies with the requirements of NRS 391.104; and
(e) Is not otherwise prohibited from being employed as a
teacher in this State.
2. A school district or charter school which employs a teacher
pursuant to subsection 1 shall, at the time such a teacher is hired,
report the hiring of the teacher to the Department.
Sec. 2. NRS 391.019 is hereby amended to read as follows:
391.019 1. [Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.027,
the] The Commission shall adopt regulations:
(a) Prescribing the qualifications for licensing teachers and other
educational personnel and the procedures for the issuance and
renewal of those licenses. The regulations:
(1) Must include, without limitation, the qualifications for
licensing teachers and administrators pursuant to an alternative route
to licensure which provides that the required education and training
may be provided by any qualified provider which has been approved
by the Commission, including, without limitation, institutions of
higher education and other providers that operate independently of
an institution of higher education. The regulations adopted pursuant
to this subparagraph must:
(I) Establish the requirements for approval as a qualified
provider;
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(II) Require a qualified provider to be selective in its
acceptance of students;
(III) Require a qualified provider to provide in -person or
virtual supervised, school -based experiences and ongoing support
for its students, such as mentoring and coaching;
(IV) Significantly limit the amount of course work
required or provide for the waiver of required course work for
students who achieve certain scores on tests;
(V) Allow for the completion in 2 years or less of the
education and training required un der the alternative route to
licensure;
(VI) Provide that a person who has completed the
education and training required under the alternative route to
licensure and who has satisfied all other requirements for licensure
may apply for a regular license pursuant to sub -subparagraph (VII)
regardless of whether the person has received an offer of
employment from a school district, charter school or private school;
and
(VII) Upon the completion by a person of the education
and training required under the alternative route to licensure and the
satisfaction of all other requirements for licensure, provide for the
issuance of a regular license to the person pursuant to the provisions
of this chapter and the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter.
(2) Must require an applicant for a license to teach middle
school or junior high school education or secondary education to
demonstrate proficiency in a field of specialization or area of
concentration by successfully completing course work prescribed by
the Department or completing a subject matter competency
examination prescribed by the Department with a score deemed
satisfactory.
(3) Must not prescribe qualifications which are more
stringent than the qualifications set forth in NRS 391.0315 for a
licensed teacher who applies for an additional license in accordance
with that section.
(4) Must prescribe qualifications for the receipt of a
secondary license with an endorsement in career and technical
education that authorize an applicant to use work experience or a
license in an area of career and technical education to satisfy
requirements on the application if he or she has previously listed
the information on an application for such a license that is no
longer valid.
(b) Identifying fields of specialization in teaching which require
the specialized training of teachers.
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(c) Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.125, requiring
teachers to obtain from the Department an endorsement in a field of
specialization to be eligible to teach in that field of specialization.
(d) Setting forth the educational requirements a teacher must
satisfy to qualify for an endorsement in each field of specialization.
(e) Setting forth the qualifications and requirements for
obtaining a license or endorsement to t each American Sign
Language, including, without limitation, being registered with the
Aging and Disability Services Division of the Department of Health
and Human Services pursuant to NRS 656A.100 to engage in the
practice of sign language interpreting in a primary or secondary
educational setting.
(f) Requiring teachers and other educational personnel to be
registered with the Aging and Disability Services Division pursuant
to NRS 656A.100 to engage in the practice of sign language
interpreting in a primary or secondary educational setting if they:
(1) Provide instruction or other educational services; and
(2) Concurrently engage in the practice of sign language
interpreting, as defined in NRS 656A.060.
(g) Prescribing course work on parental involvem ent and family
engagement. The Commission shall:
(1) Work in cooperation with the Office of Parental
Involvement and Family Engagement created by NRS 385.630 in
developing the regulations required by this paragraph.
(2) Establish standards for professional development training
which may be used to satisfy any course work requirement
prescribed pursuant to this paragraph.
(h) Establishing the requirements for obtaining an endorsement
on the license of a teacher, administrator or other educational
personnel in cultural competency.
(i) Authorizing the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue
a license by endorsement to an applicant who holds an equivalent
license or authorization issued by a governmental entity in another
country if the Superintenden t determines that the qualifications for
the equivalent license or authorization are substantially similar to
those prescribed pursuant to paragraph (a).
(j) Establishing the requirements for obtaining an endorsement
on the license of a teacher, administr ator or other educational
personnel in teaching courses relating to financial literacy.
(k) Authorizing a person who is employed as a paraprofessional
and enrolled in a program to become a teacher to complete an
accelerated program of student teaching in the same or a
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substantially similar area in which the person is employed as a
paraprofessional while remaining employed as a paraprofessional.
(l) Requiring the Department to accept a program of student
teaching or other teaching experience completed in a nother state or
foreign country by an applicant for a license if the Department
determines that the program or experience substantially fulfills the
standards of a program of student teaching in this State.
(m) Authorizing a person who is employed by a public school to
provide support or other services relating to [school] :
(1) School psychology, if the person does not hold a license
or endorsement as a school psychologist but is enrolled in a program
that would allow the person to obtain such a license or endorsement,
to complete a program of internship in school psychology while
remaining employed in such a position.
(2) School counseling, if the person does not hold a license
or endorsement as a school counselor but is enrolled in a program
that would allow the person to obtain such a license or
endorsement, to complete any required program of internship or
practicum hours to obtain such a license or endorsement while
remaining employed in such a position.
(n) Authorizing a person who has applied for an endorsement
as a school nurse or school social worker to, during the pendency
of such application:
(1) Serve as a school nurse without an endorsement as a
school nurse if he or she holds a valid license as a registered nurse
issued by the State Board of Nursing; or
(2) Serve as a school social worker without an endorsement
as a school social worker if he or she holds a valid license as a
social worker issued by the Board of Examiners for Social
Workers.
(o) To carry out the provisions of NRS 391B.010.
2. [Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.027, the ] The
Commission may adopt such other regulations as it deems necessary
for its own government or to carry out its duties.
3. Any regulation which incr eases the amount of education,
training or experience required for licensing:
(a) Must, in addition to the requirements for publication in
chapter 233B of NRS, be publicized before its adoption in a manner
reasonably calculated to inform those persons aff ected by the
change.
(b) Must not become effective until at least 1 year after the date
it is adopted by the Commission.
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(c) Is not applicable to a license in effect on the date the
regulation becomes effective.
4. Any regulation s adopted by the Commission pursuant to
paragraphs (m) and (n) of subsection 1 must require a school
district which hires a person pursuant to such regulations to, at
the time the person is hired, report the hiring to the Department.
Sec. 2.3. NRS 391.021 is hereby amended to read as follows:
391.021 1. [Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.027,
the] The Commission shall adopt regulations governing
examinations for the initial licensing of teachers and other
educational personnel. The regulations ado pted by the Commission
must ensure that the examinations test the ability of the applicant to
teach and the applicant’s knowledge of each specific subject he or
she proposes to teach.
2. When adopting regulations pursuant to subsection 1, the
Commission shall consider including any alternative means of
demonstrating competency for persons with a disability or health -
related need that the Commission determines are necessary and
appropriate.
3. The regulations adopted by the Commission pursuant to
subsection 1 must authorize an applicant to be exempt from any
requirement to pass a competency test in basic reading, writing and
mathematics if the applicant submits to the Department evidence
that, after not passing a competency test in basic reading, writing
and mathematics at the level of competence specified by the
Commission, the applicant began and completed, with a grade of B
or better, a course of study approved by the Department in each
subject area of the competency test that the applicant did not pass at
the level of competence specified by the Commission.
4. Teachers and educational personnel from another state who
obtain a reciprocal license pursuant to NRS 391.032 or 391B.010
are not required to take the examinations for the initial licensing of
teachers and other educational personnel described in this section or
any other examination for initial licensing required by the
regulations adopted by the Commission.
Sec. 2.7. NRS 391.032 is hereby amended to read as follows:
391.032 1. [Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.027,
the] The Commission shall:
(a) Adopt regulations which provide for the issuance of
provisional licenses to teachers and other educational personnel
before completion of all courses of study or other requirements for a
license in this State.
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(b) Adopt regulations which provide for the reciprocal licensure
of educational personnel from other states including, without
limitation, for the reciprocal licensure of persons who hold a license
to teach special education. Such reg ulations must include, without
limitation, provisions:
(1) For the reciprocal licensure of persons who obtained a
license pursuant to an alternative route to licensure which the
Department determines is as rigorous or more rigorous than the
alternative r oute to licensure prescribed pursuant to subparagraph
(1) of paragraph (a) of subsection 1 of NRS 391.019.
(2) Which provide for the licensure of persons pursuant to
the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact enacted in NRS 391B.010.
2. A person who is a member of the Armed Forces of the
United States, a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States or
the spouse of such a member or veteran of the Armed Forces of the
United States and who has completed the equivalent of an
alternative route to licensure program in another state may obtain a
license as if such person has completed the alternative route to
licensure program of this State.
3. The Commission shall adopt regulations requiring the
Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a provisional license to
teach if:
(a) The Superintendent determines that the applicant is
otherwise qualified for the license; and
(b) The applicant:
(1) Graduated with a bachelor’s degree or higher but is
awaiting conferment of the degree; or
(2) Satisfies the re quirements for conditional licensure
through an alternative route to licensure.
4. A person who is issued a provisional license must complete
all courses of study and other requirements for a license in this State
which is not provisional within 3 years after the date on which a
provisional license is issued.
Sec. 3. (Deleted by amendment.)
Sec. 4. NRS 391.291 is hereby amended to read as follows:
391.291 1. The provision of nursing services in a school
district by school nurses and other qualified personnel must be
under the direction and supervision of a chief nurse who is a
registered nurse as provided in NRS 632.240 and who:
(a) Holds an endorsement to serve as a school nurse issued
pursuant to regulations adopted by the Commission; or
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(b) Is employed by a state, county, city or district health
department and provides nursing services to the school district in the
course of that employment.
2. [A] Except as otherwise provided in regulations adopted by
the Commission pursuant to NRS 391.019, a school district shall
not employ a person to serve as a school nurse unless the person
holds an endorsement to serve as a school nurse issued pursuant to
regulations adopted by the Commission.
3. The chief nurse shall ensure that each school nurse:
(a) Coordinates with the principal of each school to designate:
(1) Employees of the school who are authorized to
administer auto-injectable epinephrine; and
(2) If the school has obtained an order for an opioid
antagonist pursuant to subsection 2 of NRS 386.870, at least two
employees of the school who are authorized to administer the opioid
antagonist.
(b) Provides the employees so designated with training
concerning the proper storage and administration of auto -injectable
epinephrine or opioid antagonists, as applicable.
4. As used in this section, “opioid antagonist” has the meaning
ascribed to it in NRS 453C.040.
Sec. 4.5. NRS 391.027 is hereby repealed.
Sec. 5. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2026.
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