H 4179 General Bill, By Bowen, Huggins, Clemmons, Howard, Jefferson, E.H. Pitts, 
M.A. Pitts, Spires, Toole and Williams
 A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 59-1-130 OF THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976,
 RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF A "TEACHER", SO AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF A
 "TEACHER" BY REQUIRING CERTAIN MINIMUM TIME IN THE CLASSROOM AMONG OTHER
 CRITERIA.

   05/30/07  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-20
   05/30/07  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public
                     Works HJ-20

TO AMEND SECTION 59-1-130 OF THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF A "TEACHER", SO AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF A "TEACHER" BY REQUIRING CERTAIN MINIMUM TIME IN THE CLASSROOM AMONG OTHER CRITERIA.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Section 59-1-130 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 59-1-130.    'Teacher' means any a person who is employed either full-time or part-time by any a school district either to teach or to supervise teaching and who meets the criteria set out below:

(1)(a)    spends at least thirty hours per week in a classroom as the primary instructor; and

(b)    spends at least thirty consecutive minutes in the classroom with the same group of students for the periods of instruction related to a particular subject or course.

(2)    Teachers' aides as defined in Section 59-1-140 are not classified as teachers even if they have a recognized certificate but shall be classified as teachers' aides.

(3)    A teacher having fifteen hours or less in the classroom per week and who meets the other requirements of this section may be counted as a half teacher for statistical purposes."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.