Frequently Asked Questions: Educator Assistance Act

Educator Assistance Act: Frequently Asked Questions

Educators holding a standard, five-year renewable certificate (i.e., a Professional certificate) must continue to renew the credential by earning 120 credits.

• For educators employed in a public-school setting, participation in a district’s required professional development each year of the five-year renewal period will be sufficient for renewal purposes. This includes the staff professional development days referenced in the law and other professional development as part of a teacher’s annual professional growth plan—also referenced in the law. Districts will report this participation annually to the SCDE, and the agency will work with districts during the 2025-26 school year as part of this update. Teachers who will renew in 2026 will be able to use this year’s PD as part of their renewal credits and must still have 120.
• Teachers who are not employed in a public-school setting or renewal entity will continue to utilize the renewal matrix to earn 120 credits each five-year period.

The Retired Educator Certificate enables a retired South Carolina educator to maintain certification for the purpose of returning to certified employment without having to meet renewal requirements. This certificate type is issued initially for a period of five school years and may be maintained every five years thereafter by submitting the required request to the SCDE through My SC Educator Portal.

To be issued the first Retired Educator certificate, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements and submit the application, fee, and documentation of retirement. The webpage linked above addresses most every question posed in the email thread below. So, please share the webpage link with your members.

• Does a certificate become permanent after completion of the continuing certification process, and what is that process? No educator certificate is permanent.
• Do working retirees need to be concerned with certificate renewal? Only educators who have been issued the Retired Educator certificate are exempt from renewal requirements.
• Under the new regulation, will teachers with a Bachelor's still need to take a graduate course for recertification? The requirement that a teacher with a bachelor’s degree must take a graduate course for renewal was removed from State Board regulation in 2020.
• I became recertified in June 2024. Do I have to recertify again in 2029 to gain the permanent certificate? Section 8 of the bill's text includes details, but these appear to be broad and loosely defined to me. Educators holding a Professional certificate must continue to renew that credential every five years. Educators who have retired or are approaching retirement should review the Retired Educator Certificate webpage.
• I retired this year, and I have a year or two left on my certificate. Does one have to be retired after July 1st for this retired certification to count? The educator may apply for the Retired Educator certificate the year the Professional certificate will expire.
• I retired three years ago. Will I be able to receive a lifetime certificate? An educator must meet eligibility requirements set forth in the law and submit the complete application.
• I retired five years ago, but my certificate expired in 2024. What do I need to do to become permanently certified? Educators who have retired or are approaching retirement should review the Retired Educator Certificate webpage.
• If my certificate is expired, will it be permanent when I submit the paperwork? No certificate is permanent.
• If a certificate becomes permanent after completing the continuing education process, does this mean that educators no longer must submit credit hours every five years? No certificate is permanent. Educators holding a Professional certificate must continue to renew that credential every five years. Educators who have retired or are approaching retirement should review the Retired Educator Certificate webpage.
• Is reassignment to another school a valid reason to break the contract? I know it rarely happens to educators, but transportation is an issue for me so being reassigned to certain schools in the district would be an issue. An educator should review the employing district’s policy for release from a contract due to resignation. The Educator Assistance Act includes the following exemption in Section 7: “An educator who has a bona fide residence change to a noncontiguous county during the term of the educator’s contract is not considered to be in breach of contract as provided in this section. An educator has the burden of proving a bona fide residence change to the local school board.”
• Starting July 1, 2026, educator certificates will become permanent according to the Educator Assistance Act. If this is an educator’s recertification year (certification expiring on June 30, 2026), must they still have to do everything this year, such as accumulate 120 credits, have formal observations, etc? Permanent certificates are not included in the Educator Assistance Act. The Retired Educator certificate is a lifetime credential that can be maintained every five years upon request without meeting renewal requirements.
• If educators are National Board Certified, do they still have to recertify every five years for National Boards? An educator who wishes to continue National Board certification must meet the maintenance requirements established by National Board.
• Are districts expected to have six (6) days prior to students arriving that consist of four (4) professional days and two (2) staff workdays? There is no requirement in the Educator Assistance Act mandating six staff days prior to the arrival of students. In preparation for the opening of schools, two days must be designated as staff workdays in which teachers and instructional assistants are afforded time that is self-directed and free from assigned meetings.
• Are staff workdays supposed to be split across the week as opposed to two uninterrupted days? Teachers must be afforded a total of two self-directed workdays. These can include one full day and two half-days.
• Clarification on the lifetime retired certificate - going forward if an educator retires are they required to submit a request, or will it be automatic? An educator must apply for the Retired Educator certificate initially and submit a request to maintain it every five years.
• Do the four (4) days of professional development cover a teacher for professional certificate renewal if their certificate expires in June 2026 or does the teacher need 96 hours? The teacher must have a total of 120 renewal credits across the five-year period. Participation in district PD for the 2025-26 school year does not cover the full five-year renewal period.