Monitoring for certified speech-language pathologists
Arkansas Code § 6-11-105; Arkansas Code § 6-17-402
- (a) The local public school district that employs a certified speech-language pathologist must verify to the Department of Education annually the employment status of that speech-language pathologist.
- (b) A certified speech-language pathologist shall not receive a yearly bonus if the person leaves the full-time employment of an Arkansas public school district.
(c)
- (1) If a certified speech-language pathologist who receives a bonus under this subsection leaves employment in the Arkansas public school system before completing three (3) continuous school years of employment, the speech-language pathologist shall repay the department a prorated portion of the bonus received in the school year based on a daily rate for the remainder of a school year in which the speech-language pathologist leaves employment.
- (2) The first year of the three (3) continuous school years is the first year that the speech-language pathologist received a bonus under this subsection.
(3) The daily rate is calculated as the:
- (A) Amount of the annual bonus paid to the speech-language pathologist; divided by
- (B) Number of days in the speech-language pathologist’s contract.
- (4) The State Board of Education may suspend the Arkansas speech-language pathology license of any person who fails to repay the amount of the bonus required to be repaid under this subsection.
- (5) Repayment of all or a portion of a bonus under this subsection is not required if, due to the death or disability of the speech-language pathologist or other extenuating circumstances as may be recognized by the state board, the speech-language pathologist does not remain employed in the Arkansas public school system for three (3) continuous school years after first receiving the bonus under this subsection.