Student Teachers

If a college/university wishes to place a student in their education program in Puyallup School District for observation, practicum, and/or student teaching, the following must be on file with the district:

• Current Student Teaching Agreement/Contract
• Proof of Liability Insurance

After a contract has been established and an insurance policy is on file, university placement officers may contact placement coordinator Shelly Teele to request practicum and student teaching placements. Per district policy, placements are not made by students or college/university personnel contacting a teacher or principal directly.

The placement request must include the following information:

• Student’s name, subject area/endorsement requirements, and duration of placement
• Student’s resume
• Student’s requested school(s), grade level(s), and/or host teacher(s)

Prior to beginning their practicum or student teaching experience, the following must be verified (placements will not be finalized until it has been verified that the student has met all requirements):

• Proof of Fingerprinting*
• Proof of Puyallup SD Volunteer Approval Status 
• Washington State Pre-Residency Certificate of Clearance**

*The state of Washington requires that everyone who has contact with students in the school setting be fingerprinted prior to starting their assignments. Request for placement will not be processed and student teachers will not be allowed into the classroom without proof of current fingerprints.

**OUT-OF-STATE UNIVERSITIES ONLY: Placement requests will need to obtain a pre-residency clearance prior to placement. For details on the documents needed and application process to obtain this pre-certificate clearance, visit the OPSI website.

When placement has been confirmed, the University Coordinator will be notified with the student teacher placement information, including school location, grade level, host teacher and administrator contact information, and further instructions if needed.

The Puyallup School District strives to meet the needs of the many requests received throughout the year, however not all requests can be accommodated so it is encouraged to seek placements at multiple districts in the area and submit requests using the following timeline:

• By November 30th for Winter quarter/semester
• By January 31st for Spring quarter/semester
• By May 4th for Fall quarter/semester

If you are a current Puyallup School District Paraeducator seeking a student teaching placement in the district, read the following for guidance on requesting leave and bargaining agreement requirements.

The process for requesting a student teaching placement is the same as above.

Paraeducators Requesting Leave to Student Teach

1. Practicum leave for PSD paraeducator (approx. 40-75 hrs. depending on university) may be short-term leave that will be coordinated by Leave Coordinator with HR Director.  Must be in a program and done in 3 weeks or less.
    
2. After the paraeducator has been approved by university to student teach and has secured student teacher placement in a Puyallup School District school, if they qualify (Section 7.6)**, the employee must request a Long-Term General Leave through the Leaves office.
    
3. Leaves Office reviews request and shares with appropriate HR Generalist.  
    
4. HR Staffing Manager will process as usual for General Leave and Leave will be granted for 1 semester (or a full year if requested).
    
5. If an employee completes student teaching before the end of the semester (or year) and requests to return to a para position – the appropriate HR Staffing Manager will see if a placement is available at that time.
    
6. If no placement is available, leave would be in place through the semester/year. (Employee could be offered the option to serve as a Sub Para).
    
7. At the conclusion of their General Leave, a placement, per CBA, for the next year (or semester) would then occur.
    
8. If the employee no longer wishes to return in the paraeducator capacity, resignation would be needed. (i.e., to pursue substitute teaching, teaching, etc.).
    
9. HR Staffing Manager informs Sub Services Generalist of transition to sub certificated.

**After a minimum of three years of employment, employees may be granted a long-term leave of absence greater than three months) without pay for a period not to exceed one calendar year. Employees requesting a long-term general leave of absence for the following school year must normally do so on or before March 1. Employees requesting a long-term general leave of absence for the following semester must do so by March 1 (for first semester of the following school year) or December 1 (for second semester). The District cannot always grant a long-term leave of absence as there is no certainty of a vacancy to make room for the employee when returning. The Director of Human Resources, however, will consider such cases individually. Leave may be granted beyond one calendar year under special circumstances if approved by the District. The returning employee will not necessarily be assigned to the identical position occupied before the leave but will be reinstated to a position equivalent in duties and annual salary to that held at the time the leave of absence began. Such reinstatement is contingent upon the availability of such a position. A salary/step/longevity increment shall not be given for the year during which the leave of absence is taken unless the individual has been drafted into the United States Armed Services.