1. I. District-Level Administrative Personnel

   1. A. Professional Personnel Qualifications and Duties

      1. 1. Principals

         Each school with an enrollment of more than 375 students must be staffed with a full-time properly certified principal. Each school with an enrollment of fewer than 375 students must be staffed with at least a part-time properly certified principal. A principal’s duties and responsibilities are to be prescribed by the district superintendent. The district superintendent must request a certification permit from the Office of Educator Services for each principal who is not properly certified. (see Reg. 43-53).

      2. 2. Assistant Principals or Curriculum Coordinators

         Each school with an enrollment of 600 or more students must be staffed with at least one full-time properly certified assistant principal or curriculum coordinator.

      3. 3. Teachers, School Counselors, and Library Media Specialists

         Each teacher, school counselor, and library media specialist must be properly certified by the State Board of Education. The duties and responsibilities of teachers, school counselors, and library media specialists are to be prescribed by the school principal. The district superintendent must request a certification permit from the Office of Educator Services for each eligible teacher, school counselor, and library media specialist who are not properly certified. (see Reg. 43-53).

      4. 4. School Nurses

         Each school nurse must hold a current license issued by the State Board of Nursing to practice as a professional registered nurse or as a licensed practical nurse who is working under the supervision of a professional registered nurse. The duties and responsibilities of a school nurse are to be prescribed by the principal in accordance with the laws and regulations governing nursing in South Carolina. If a school nurse works in more than one school, his or her duties and responsibilities are to be prescribed by the district superintendent or his or her designee in accordance with the laws and regulations governing nursing in South Carolina.

   2. B. Professional Personnel Workload

      1. 1. Regular Education Teachers

         1. a. The average student-teacher ratio in any school must not exceed 28:1 based on the average daily enrollment. The total number of teachers must include all regular, special-area, and resource teachers whose students are counted in the regular enrollment.
         2. b. Each district must maintain an average student-teacher ratio of 21:1 based on the average daily enrollment in reading and mathematics classes in grades kindergarten through three.

         3. c. Class sizes must not exceed the following student-teacher ratios:

            Grade Level	Maximum Student-Teacher Ratio
            Pre-kindergarten	20:1
            Grades K-3	30:1
            Grades 4-5, English language arts and mathematics	30:1
            Grades 4-5, all other subjects	35:1

         4. d. Paraprofessionals may be counted in computing the student-teacher ratio at the rate of .5 per paraprofessional if they work under the supervision of a teacher and make up no more than 10 percent of the total staff. Excluded from the computation are the following:

            1. 1. teachers of self-contained special education classes, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes, principals, assistant principals, library media specialists, school counselors; and
            2. 2. students in self-contained special education classes, pre-kindergarten classes, or kindergarten classes.

      2. 2. School Counselors and Specialists in Art, Music, and Physical Education

         1. a. Schools having any combination of grades kindergarten through five must employ the full-time equivalent (FTE) of a school counselor and specialists in art, music, and physical education (PE) in the following ratios for each area:

            Average Daily Enrollment	FTE	Minimum Allotted Time Daily
            800 or more	1.0	300 minutes
            640-799	.8	240 minutes
            480-639	.6	180 minutes
            320-479	.4	120 minutes
            Less than 320	.2	60 minutes

         2. b. Music teachers may teach a maximum of 40 students per class period. The total teaching load must not exceed 240 students per day. Exceptions: When band, chorus, and orchestra require rehearsals of their entire enrollment, any number is acceptable if adequate space is available.
         3. c. PE teachers may teach a maximum of 40 students per class period. The total teaching load must not exceed 240 students per day. If PE and health are taught on alternate days by the same teacher to the same class, the 40-student maximum and 240-student totals are also permitted for health. When health is taught as a separate subject, the teaching load is a maximum of 35 students per period and a total of 150 students per day.

      3. 3. Library Media Specialists

         Schools with fewer than 375 students must provide at least half-time services of a certified library media specialist. Schools with 375 or more students must provide the services of a full-time certified library media specialist.

      4. 4. Special Education Teachers

         1. a. The teaching load for teachers of self-contained special education classes must not exceed the following student-teacher ratios:

            Area	Maximum Ratio Based on
            	Average Daily Enrollment
            Mental Disabilities (mild)	15:1
            Emotional Disabilities	12:1
            Learning Disabilities	15:1
            Mental Disabilities (moderate and severe) and Orthopedically Impaired	12:1
            Visually Impaired	10:1
            Deaf and Hard of Hearing	10:1

         2. b. Cross-categorical self-contained classes must not exceed the following student-teacher ratios:

            Area	Maximum Ratio Based on
            	Average Daily Enrollment
            Mental Disabilities (mild) and Learning Disabilities	15:1
            Mental Disabilities (mild), Learning Disabilities, and Emotional Disabilities	12:1
            Mental Disabilities (mild), Learning Disabilities, Emotional Disabilities, and Orthopedically Impaired	12:1

            When four or more students identified as emotionally disabled or orthopedically impaired are enrolled in a cross-categorical class, a full-time teaching assistant must be employed.

         3. c. The maximum teaching load required for resource teachers and itinerant teachers for students with disabilities based on the average daily enrollment is as follows:

            Area	Maximum Teaching Load
            Mental Disabilities (mild)	33 students
            Emotional Disabilities	33 students
            Learning Disabilities	33 students
            Mental Disabilities (moderate and severe) and Orthopedically Impaired	20 students
            Visually Impaired	15 students
            Deaf and Hard of Hearing	15 students

         4. d. When resource teachers and/or itinerant teachers serve students with differing disabilities, the maximum teaching load must be determined by the majority of the students in enrollment in an area of disability.

         5. e. The maximum caseload for speech language therapists must not exceed 60 students.

            III. Grades Six through Eight

   3. A. Professional Personnel Qualifications and Duties

      1. 1. Principals

         1. a. Each school with an enrollment of 250 students or more must employ a full-time properly certified principal. Schools with fewer than 250 students in enrollment must be staffed with at least a half-time properly certified principal. A principal’s duties and responsibilities are to be prescribed by the district superintendent. The district superintendent must request a certification permit from the Office of Educator Services for each principal who is not properly certified (see Reg. 43-53).
         2. b. Each campus principal of a multicampus school with an enrollment of 250 students or more must comply with certification regulations prescribed for a principal of a single campus school.

      2. 2. Assistant Principals/Assistant Directors or Curriculum Coordinators

         In addition to employing a full-time principal, each school with an enrollment of 500 or more students must be staffed with one full-time properly certified assistant principal or curriculum coordinator. An additional properly certified assistant principal or curriculum coordinator must be employed for a school with an enrollment of 1,000 or more.

      3. 3. Teachers, School Counselors, and Library Media Specialists

         Each teacher, school counselor, and library media specialist must be properly certified by the State Board of Education. The duties and responsibilities of teachers, school counselors, and library media specialists are to be prescribed by the school principal. The district superintendent must request a certification permit from the Office of Educator Services for each eligible teacher, school counselor, and library media specialist who are not properly certified (see Reg. 43-53).

      4. 4. School Nurses

         Each school nurse must hold a current license issued by the State Board of Nursing to practice as a professional registered nurse or as a licensed practical nurse who is working under the supervision of a professional registered nurse. The duties and responsibilities of a school nurse are to be prescribed by the principal in accordance with the laws and regulations governing nursing in South Carolina. If a school nurse works in more than one school, his or her duties and responsibilities are to be prescribed by the district superintendent or his or her designee in accordance with the laws and regulations governing nursing in South Carolina.

      5. 5. Career Specialists

         Each career specialist must work under the supervision of a certified school counselor. The career specialist must hold a bachelor’s degree and must have earned either a Global Career and Development Facilitator (GCDF) certification or Career Development Facilitator (CDF) certification. The school counselor may serve as the career specialist if he or she holds the GCDF or the CDF credential. If this person is to provide classroom instruction, he or she must be certified.

   4. B. Professional Personnel Workload

      1. 1. School Counselors

         1. a. Schools with fewer than 600 students must provide the services of a school counselor in the following ratios:

            Minimum Allotted Time Enrollment	Daily
            Up to 200	100 minutes
            201 to 300	150 minutes
            301 to 400	200 minutes
            401 to 500	250 minutes
            501 to 600	300 minutes

         2. b. Schools with an enrollment of 501 or more students must employ one full-time certified school counselor. Schools with more than 600 students must provide school counseling services at the ratio of one 50-minute period for every 100 students or major portion thereof.
         3. c. A career specialist may be employed to provide career school counseling services.
         4. d. By the 2011-12 school year, the student-to-school counseling personnel ratio will be reduced to 300 to 1 as funds become available.

      2. 2. Library Media Specialists

         1. a. Schools with fewer than 400 students must employ a library media specialist who devotes not less than 200 minutes daily to library media services.
         2. b. Schools with an enrollment of 400 or more students must employ a certified library media specialist devoting full time to library media services.
         3. c. Schools having an enrollment of 750 or more must employ an additional full-time person (paraprofessional or certified library media specialist) in the library media center.

      3. 3. Classroom Teachers

         1. a. The teaching load must not exceed 150 students daily. No class may exceed 35 students in enrollment.

            Grade Level	Maximum Student-Teacher Ratio
            Grade 6, English language arts and mathematics	30:1
            Grade 6, all other subjects	35:1
            Grades 7-8	35:1

         2. b. A maximum of 40 students per class with a total teaching load of 240 students per day is permitted for music and PE teachers. If PE and health are taught on alternate days by the same teacher to the same class, the 40-student maximum and 240-student totals are also permitted for health. When health is taught as a separate subject, the teaching load is a maximum of 35 students per class and a total of 150 students per day. Exceptions: When band, chorus, and orchestra require rehearsals of the entire enrollment, any number is acceptable if adequate space is available.
         3. c. When a teacher’s daily schedule includes a combination of academic subjects and nonacademic subjects, the maximum daily teaching load must be calculated on the basis of 30 students per academic class and 40 students for each music or PE class. (Example: 3 classes of math with 30 students each = 90 + 2 classes of PE with 40 students each = 80. The teaching load totals 170 students. The teacher is not overloaded but does teach the maximum allowable.)
         4. d. Maximum teacher load requirements and individual class size limits are the same for minicourses as any other classes.

      4. 4. Special Education Teachers

         1. a. The teaching load for teachers of self-contained classes must not exceed the following student-teacher ratios:

            Area	Maximum Ratio Based on
            	Average Daily Enrollment
            Mental Disabilities (mild)	18:1
            Emotional Disabilities	15:1
            Learning Disabilities	18:1
            Mental Disabilities (moderate and severe) and Orthopedically Impaired	15:1
            Visually Impaired	12:1
            Deaf and Hard of Hearing	12:1

         2. b. Cross-categorical self-contained classes must not exceed the following student-teacher ratios:

            Area	Maximum Ratio Based on
            	Average Daily Enrollment
            Mental Disabilities (mild) and Learning Disabilities	18:1
            Mental Disabilities (mild), Learning Disabilities, and Emotional Disabilities	15:1
            Mental Disabilities (mild), Learning Disabilities, Emotional Disabilities, and Orthopedically Impaired	15:1

            When four or more students identified as emotionally disabled or orthopedically impaired are enrolled in a cross-categorical class, a full-time teaching assistant must be employed.

         3. c. The maximum teaching load for resource teachers and itinerant teachers for students with disabilities based on the average daily enrollment is as follows:

            Area	Maximum Teaching Load
            Mental Disabilities (mild)	33 students
            Emotional Disabilities	33 students
            Learning Disabilities	33 students
            Mental Disabilities (moderate and severe) and Orthopedically Impaired	20 students
            Visually Impaired	15 students
            Deaf and Hard of Hearing	15 students

         4. d. When resource teachers and/or itinerant teachers serve students with differing disabilities, the maximum caseload must be determined by the majority of the students in enrollment in an area of disability.

         5. e. The maximum caseload for speech-language therapists must not exceed 60 students.

            IV. Grades Nine through Twelve

   5. A. Professional Personnel Qualifications and Duties

      1. 1. Principals/Directors

         1. a. Each school must be staffed with a full-time properly certified principal/director whose duties and responsibilities must be prescribed by the district superintendent. The district superintendent must request a certification permit from the Office of Educator Services for each principal/director who is not properly certified (see Reg. 43-53).
         2. b. Each campus principal of a multicampus school with an enrollment of 250 students or more must comply with certification regulations prescribed for a principal of a single-campus school.

      2. 2. Assistant Principals/Assistant Directors or Curriculum Coordinators

         1. a. In addition to being staffed with a full-time principal/director, each school with an enrollment of 400 to 499 students must be staffed with at least one half-time properly certified assistant principal or the equivalent.
         2. b. In addition to being staffed with a full-time principal/director, each school with an enrollment of 500 or more students must be staffed with at least one full-time properly certified assistant principal/assistant director and a properly certified assistant principal or the equivalent for each additional 500 students.

      3. 3. Teachers, School Counselors, and Library Media Specialists

         Each teacher, school counselor, and library media specialist must be properly certified by the State Board of Education. Their duties and responsibilities are to be prescribed by the principal. The district superintendent must request a certification permit from the Office of Educator Services for each eligible teacher, school counselor, and library media specialist who are not properly certified (see Reg. 43-53).

      4. 4. School Nurses

         Each school nurse must hold a current license issued by the State Board of Nursing to practice as a professional registered nurse or as a licensed practical nurse who is working under the supervision of a professional registered nurse. The duties and responsibilities of a school nurse are to be prescribed by the principal in accordance with the laws and regulations governing nursing in South Carolina. If a school nurse works in more than one school, his or her duties and responsibilities are to be prescribed by the district superintendent or his or her designee in accordance with the laws and regulations governing nursing in South Carolina.

      5. 5. School Transition Coordinators

         When a school-to-work transition coordinator is employed, the coordinator must be certified in one or more occupational subjects, have at least a bachelor’s degree, and have two years’ work experience. In lieu of these requirements, a qualified person with an employment background in business or industry may be employed as a school-to-work transition coordinator if the person possesses at least a bachelor’s degree and five years of business/industry work experience in the fields of personnel or administration. If this person is to provide classroom instruction, he or she must be certified.

      6. 6. Career Specialists

         Each career specialist must hold a bachelor’s degree and must have obtained a Global Career and Development Facilitator (GCDF) credentialing after completing the 120 hours Career Development Facilitator (CDF) course. If the career specialist has not obtained the national global career development facilitators credentialing at the time of hire, a period of two years will be granted in order to obtain the required Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE) work experience. A school counselor may serve as the career specialist if he or she holds GCDF or CDF credential.

   6. B. Professional Personnel Workload

      1. 1. School Counselors

         1. a. Schools with fewer than 600 students must provide the services of a school counselor in the following ratios:

            Enrollment	Minimum Allotted Time Daily
            Up to 200	100 minutes
            201 to 300	150 minutes
            301 to 400	300 minutes
            401 to 500	250 minutes
            501 to 600	300 minutes

         2. b. Schools with enrollments of 501 or more must employ one full-time certified school counselor. Schools with more than 600 students must provide school counseling services at the ratio of 50 minutes for each additional 51 to 100 students to the extent that the total school enrollment reflects a minimum of 50 minutes of school counseling services for every 100 students.
         3. c. A career specialist may be employed to provide career school counseling services.
         4. d. By the 2011-12 school year, the student-to-school counseling personnel ratio will be reduced to 300 to 1 as funds become available.

      2. 2. Library Media Specialists

         1. a. Schools having an enrollment of fewer than 400 students must employ a library media specialist who must devote not less than 200 minutes daily to library media services.
         2. b. Schools with an enrollment of 400 or more students must employ a certified library media specialist devoting full time to library media services.
         3. c. Schools having an enrollment of 750 or more students must employ an additional full-time person (paraprofessional or certified library media specialist) in the library media center.

      3. 3. Classroom Teachers

         1. a. The maximum daily teaching load for teachers of academic classes is 150 students. No class may exceed 35 students in enrollment.
         2. b. A teacher must not be permitted to teach more than 1,500 minutes per week.
         3. c. A teacher must not be assigned classes requiring more than four preparations per day.
         4. d. A maximum of 40 students per class with a total teaching load of 240 students per day is permitted for music and PE teachers. If PE and health are taught on alternate days by the same teacher to the same class, the 40-student maximum and 240-student totals are also permitted for health. When health is taught as a separate subject, the maximum teaching load is 35 students per class and a total of 150 students per day. Exception: When band, chorus, and orchestra require rehearsals of the entire enrollment, any number is acceptable if adequate space is available.
         5. e. When a teacher’s daily schedule includes a combination of academic and nonacademic subjects, the maximum daily teaching load must be calculated on the basis of 30 students per academic class and 40 students per music or PE class. (Example: 3 classes of math with 30 students each = 90 + 2 classes of PE with 40 students each = 80. The teaching load totals 170 students. The teacher is not overloaded but does teach the maximum allowable.)
         6. f. In calculating teaching load, the number of students supervised in study hall by a regular teacher must be divided by 4 (example: 60 divided by 4 = 15). Study hall students must not be placed in an instructional class.

      4. 4. Special Education Teachers

         1. a. The teaching load for teachers of self-contained classes must not exceed the following student-teacher ratios:

            Area	Maximum Ratio Based on
            	Average Daily Enrollment
            Mental Disabilities (mild)	18:1
            Emotional Disabilities	15:1
            Learning Disabilities	18:1
            Mental Disabilities (moderate and severe) and Orthopedically Impaired	15:1
            Visually Impaired	12:1
            Deaf and Hard of Hearing	12:1

         2. b. Cross-categorical classes must not exceed the following student-teacher ratios:

            Area	Maximum Ratio Based on
            	Average Daily Enrollment
            Mental Disabilities (mild) and Learning Disabilities	18:1
            Mental Disabilities (mild), Learning Disabilities, and Emotional Disabilities	17:1
            Mental Disabilities (mild), Learning Disabilities, Emotional Disabilities, and Orthopedically Impaired	16:1

            When four or more students identified as emotionally disabled or orthopedically impaired are enrolled in a cross-categorical class, a full-time teaching assistant must be employed.

         3. c. The maximum teaching load for resource teachers and itinerant teachers for students with disabilities based on average daily enrollment is as follows:

            Area	Maximum Teaching Load
            Mental Disabilities (mild)	33 students
            Emotional Disabilities	33 students
            Learning Disabilities	33 students
            Mental Disabilities (moderate and severe) and Orthopedically Impaired	20 students
            Visually Impaired	15 students
            Deaf and Hard of Hearing	15 students

         4. d. When resource room and/or itinerant teachers serve students with differing disabilities, the maximum caseload must be determined by the majority of the students in enrollment in an area of disability.
         5. e. The maximum caseload for speech-language therapists must not exceed 60 students.

   Personnel employed as administrative assistants, supervisors, and consultants having responsibilities for supervising instructional programs and student services must hold a master’s degree and be certified in their area of primary responsibility or must earn a minimum of 6 semester hours annually toward appropriate certification. The district superintendent must request from the Office of Educator Services a certification permit for members of the central staff who are not properly certified. (see Reg. 43-53).

   II. Pre-kindergarten through Grade Five

Statutory Authority

1976 Code Sections 59-5-60, 59-59-10 et seq., and Pub. L. No. 114-95

HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume 21, Issue No. 6, Part 1, eff June 27, 1997; State Register Volume 29, Issue No. 6, eff June 24, 2005; State Register Volume 31, Issue No. 5, eff May 25, 2007; State Register Volume 41, Issue No. 6, Doc. No. 4695, eff June 23, 2017.