Expert Citizen License

The Special License, Expert Citizen – Teacher License is a five-year license that can only be requested by an employing local public school district or an eligible nonpublic school accredited or approved by the state of Mississippi in order to allow a school district to offer specialized or technical courses as outlined in Mississippi Code Ann. §37-3-2 (6)(c) and in accordance with rules and regulations established by the State Board of Education.

The Special License, Expert Citizen – Teacher License shall not be converted to any other license type issued by the Mississippi Department of Education. Should the Expert Citizen – Teacher License holder desires to obtain any other standard five (5) year license type, all current requirements of a Mississippi State Board of Education approved Traditional or Non-traditional teacher education preparation program must be met.

Requirements. To qualify for the Special License, Expert Citizen – Teacher License an applicant shall meet the following:

• 1. Request initiated by a Mississippi-based local school district or nonpublic school accredited or approved by the state using the local district request application process
  2. Completed licensure application
  3. Verification of a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience provided on the Verification of Experience form. The Verification of Experience form can be found at www.mdek12.org/oel/forms.
  4. Official academic transcript(s) verifying at least a high school diploma
  5. Verification of valid industry-recognized certification related to the subject area license is requested
  OR
  If candidate does not hold industry-recognized certification but does meet the required relevant experience criterion, the local school board shall document as part of their minutes, a detailed explanation for hiring an instructor that does not possess industry certification. The minutes shall be submitted as part of the completed licensure application packet.

Guidance on School Board Documentation

The following guidance is provided to assist applicants in obtaining valid school board documentation to submit with their Expert Citizen License Application materials. When a candidate does not hold industry-recognized certification but does meet the required relevant experience criterion, the local school board shall document as part of their minutes, a detailed explanation for hiring an instructor that does not possess industry certification.

Content: The documentation will be reviewed to determine whether it includes a detailed explanation of why the applicant possesses the necessary skillset for the subject they wish to teach.

Documents may provide a combination of information that might be used to explain reason for hire, such as:

• related practical skills

• professional development

• on-the job training or apprenticeships

• recommendation statements from previous or current supervisors

• volunteer work in a related field

• relevant education

Verification of Lawful Presence
Citizens of the United States are required to submit appropriate documentation for verification once during their next most immediate licensure application submission. Non-US citizens are required to submit appropriate documentation for verification with each licensure application submission, or when their United States Citizenship and Immigration Services documents expire, whichever comes first. The Verification of Lawful Presence form (if not previously submitted) must also be included in the completed licensure application packet. The form can be found at www.mdek12.org/oel/forms.

Validity: This license is valid for five-years.

Specific restrictions apply:

• The license is not transferable between Districts or eligible nonpublic schools. For example, if a candidate is employed one (1) year and transfers to another school district, the license is no longer valid, unless a new Local District Request Application is received by the Division of Educator Licensure from the local district to which the candidate is transferring. The MDE Division of Educator Licensure must be notified via official correspondence, if the license holder should leave the original local public school district or eligible nonpublic school for any reason, in order that the current license be invalidated and to allow submission of a new application by another employing local public school district or an eligible nonpublic school.
• The license can only be requested in one (1) endorsement area.
• Additional endorsements will not be added to the Special, Expert Citizen-Teacher License.
• The license holder shall be bound by the MS Code of Ethics, Standards of Conduct.

List of Industry Recognized Certifications