STATE OF MICHIGAN

101ST LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2021

Introduced by Reps. Paquette, Steven Johnson, Calley and Brann

ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 4294

AN ACT to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled “An act to provide a system of public instruction and elementary and
secondary schools; to revise, consolidate, and clarify the laws relating to elementary and secondary education; to
provide for the organization, regulation, and maintenance of schools, school districts, public school academies,
intermediate school districts, and other public school entities; to prescribe rights, powers, duties, and privileges
of schools, school districts, public school academies, intermediate school districts, and other public school entities;
to provide for the regulation of school teachers and certain other school employees; to provide for school elections
and to prescribe powers and duties with respect thereto; to provide for the levy and collection of taxes; to provide
for the borrowing of money and issuance of bonds and other evidences of indebtedness; to establish a fund and
provide for expenditures from that fund; to make appropriations for certain purposes; to provide for and prescribe
the powers and duties of certain state departments, the state board of education, and certain other boards and
officials; to provide for licensure of boarding schools; to prescribe penalties; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,”
by amending section 1233 (MCL 380.1233), as amended by 2018 PA 418.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

Sec. 1233. (1) Except as otherwise provided by law, and subject to sections 1233b and 1233c, the board of a
school district or intermediate school district shall not permit a teacher who does not hold a valid teaching
certificate to teach in a grade or department of the school.
(2) The board of a school district or intermediate school district shall not allow an individual to serve in a
counseling role in the school district or intermediate school district, as the role is defined by the superintendent
of public instruction, unless the individual meets 1 or more of the following:
(a) The individual holds a valid teaching certificate with a school counseling endorsement.
(b) The individual meets all of the following:
(i) Holds a master’s degree awarded after completion of an approved school counselor education program that
includes at least all of the following skills and content areas or their equivalent:
(A) Guidance services--philosophy, principles, and practices.
(B) Individual and group analysis--nature and range of human characteristics and appraisal methods.
(C) Guidance information--vocational development theory, educational and occupational information.
(D) Counseling theory and practice--individual and group procedures, administration and coordination
relationships, professional relationships, and ethics.
(E) Supervised experiences--laboratory, practicum, or internship.
(F) Evaluation--statistics and research methodology, follow-up evaluation, and measurement methods.

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 (ii) Has successfully completed the department’s guidance counselor examination.
(iii) Has been recommended by an approved school counselor education program to provide services as a school
counselor.
(c) The individual meets both of the following:
(i) Has at least 5 years of successful experience serving in a school counseling role in another state within the
immediately preceding 7-year period.
(ii) Has successfully completed the department’s guidance counselor examination.
(3) Except for teachers engaged to teach under section 1233b and teachers engaged to teach in a community
district under section 1233c, the intermediate superintendent shall notify the superintendent of public instruction
immediately of the names of noncertificated teachers teaching in violation of subsection (1) and the names of
individuals serving in counseling roles in violation of subsection (2), the employing district, and the amount of
time the noncertificated teachers or unqualified individuals were employed.
(4) A vocational teacher preparation institution shall utilize the employment experience of an annually
authorized teacher for the purpose of waiving student teaching as a requirement for vocational certification if the
annually authorized teacher is supervised by the teacher preparation institution.
(5) Subject to subsection (10), the board of a school district or intermediate school district may employ an
individual without a teaching certificate as a substitute teacher if either of the following requirements is met, if
applicable:
(a) The individual has at least 60 semester hours of college credit or an associate degree from a college,
university, or community college. The 60 semester hours do not need to be from the same college, university, or
community college.
(b) For substitute teaching a course in an industrial technology education program or a career and technical
education program, the individual is engaged to substitute teach in a subject matter or field in which the
individual has achieved expertise, as determined by the board of a school district or intermediate school district
and satisfies all of the following, if applicable:
(i) Has a high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate as that term is defined in section 4 of the
state school aid act of 1979, MCL 388.1604.
(ii) For substitute teaching in a subject matter or field in which a professional license or certification is
required, at least 1 of the following:
(A) Holds a professional license or certification in that same subject matter or field.
(B) Previously held a professional license or certification in that same subject matter or field that expired not
more than 2 years before the noncertificated substitute teacher’s initial employment under this section and was
in good standing immediately before the license or certification expired.
(iii) Has at least 2 cumulative years of professional experience in that same subject matter or field in the
immediately preceding 10 years.
(6) The department shall not renew an individual’s school counselor credential unless the department
determines that, within the time period since the individual’s school counselor credential was issued or last
renewed, whichever is most recent, the individual has completed at least 25 hours of professional development
approved by the department under subsection (8) covering counseling about the college preparation and selection
process and at least 25 hours of professional development approved by the department under subsection (8)
covering career counseling. For the purposes of this subsection, career counseling includes, but is not limited to,
exploration of military career options and the skilled trades as well as other careers and pathways that lead to
industry credentials awarded in recognition of an individual’s attainment of measurable technical or occupational
skills necessary to obtain employment or advance within an occupation. The hours of professional development
required under this subsection covering career counseling must include at least 5 hours covering military career
options. The hours of professional development required under this subsection are a part of and not in addition to
professional development requirements under department rule.
(7) An individual may complete the professional development hours for the purposes of subsection (6) as part
of the professional development provided by a school district, intermediate school district, public school academy,
or nonpublic school under section 1527 if the content and curriculum of the professional development provided
under section 1527 are approved by the department under subsection (8).
(8) The department shall approve the professional development for the purposes of subsection (6). The
department shall only approve a professional development program or course for the purposes of subsection (6) if
the department determines that the content and curriculum for the professional development meet standards
that are developed by the department in consultation with the department of labor and economic opportunity and

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groups representing school counselors, college admissions professionals, financial aid officers, employers, and
others as determined appropriate by the department. The department shall develop these standards by July 1,
2018 and shall facilitate the involvement in the development of the standards of the groups required under this
subsection.
(9) The superintendent of public instruction shall promulgate or modify rules as necessary to implement
subsections (6) to (8).
(10) Subject to subsection (12), beginning on the effective date of the amendatory act that added this subsection
through June 30, 2022, the board of a school district or intermediate school district may employ an individual
without a certificate or permit who does not meet the requirements under subsection (5) as a substitute teacher
if both of the following are met:
(a) Both of the following apply to the individual:
(i) The individual has a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate as that term is defined in
section 4 of the state school aid act of 1979, MCL 388.1604.
(ii) The individual is employed by or works at the school district or intermediate school district.
(b) The board ensures that both of the following are met, as applicable:
(i) If the individual’s existing salary as an employee of or worker at the school district or intermediate school
district is higher than the salary of a substitute teacher who is employed at or works at the school district or
intermediate school district, the individual’s salary for his or her employment or work as a substitute teacher
under this subsection must not be lower than his or her existing salary.
(ii) If the individual’s existing salary as an employee of or worker at the school district or intermediate school
district is lower than the salary of a substitute teacher who is employed at or works at the school district or
intermediate school district, the individual’s salary for his or her employment or work as a substitute teacher
under this subsection must be in an amount that is equal to or greater than the salary of a substitute teacher who
is employed at or works at the school district or intermediate school district.
(11) An individual who declines employment or assignment as a substitute teacher under subsection (10) must
not be terminated from his or her existing employment or assignment and must not be subject to retaliation solely
for declining the employment or assignment under subsection (10).
(12) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, sections 1230(2) and 1230a(2) do not apply to an
individual employed under subsection (10). However, all other requirements under sections 1230 and 1230a apply
to the employment of an individual under subsection (10).

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Secretary of the Senate

Approved___________________________________________

____________________________________________________
Governor