​CSPG 12 - Voluntary Deletion of Certification Area

General Policies

Voluntary Deletion is the removal of certification areas from a Pennsylvania Professional certificate at the request of an educator who no longer wishes to be assigned to serve in those areas.

Requirements and Procedures

1. Educators must apply online through the Teacher Information Management System (TIMS) for voluntary deletion of certification areas from their Pennsylvania Professional Certificate.
2. The application is only available in TIMS between October 1 and December 31 annually. A moratorium exists between January 1 and September 30 each year to allow schools to plan for the assignment of their certificated staff for the following school year.
3. The application must be submitted and paid for by December 31. All required supporting documents must be notarized and postmarked by December 31.
4. The Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality (Bureau) will notify the employing school authority to provide it the opportunity to address the validity of the applicant’s notarized statement.
5. The Bureau will grant the voluntary deletion of certification areas when either of the following conditions are met:
   1. The applicant has held the certificate in the areas for which the voluntary deletion is sought for the previous five years and has not served in that area during that time; or
      
   2. The applicant is not serving as a full-time professional or temporary professional employee.
6. If the educator does not meet either of the above conditions, the employing school entity must approve the voluntary deletion request.
   

Special Considerations

1. If the voluntary deletion request is denied by the employing school authority, the applicant may appeal to the Secretary of Education. In any such appeal, the burden is on the applicant to show a lack of subject matter competency.
2. The Bureau will not delete the certification area until the end of the current school year (June 30) in which the deletion application is submitted.
3. A deletion application which seeks to change the grade level or subject area scope of the original area of certification will not be made when the certificate is comprehensive for a single curriculum area or specified school level.
4. Any educator who wishes to obtain certification in an area that was previously deleted under the provisions of Chapter §49.69 must reapply for the certification area and meet all current laws, regulations, standards, and policies in effect at the time of application.

Reference

22 Pa. Code §49.69

This revision supersedes all earlier CSPGs carrying this number and/or addressing this subject. Previous CSPG printing dates on this subject: 3/75, 10/80, 1/87, 7/04

Summary of Changes