Article 7. Instructional Aides of California Education Code >> Division 3. >> Title 2. >> Part 25. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 7.

This article may be cited as the Instructional Aide Act of 1968. The provisions of this article shall apply to personnel referred to in Sections 35021, 44833, 44835, 54422, 54481, 54482, 54525, or any other section heretofore or hereafter enacted, who perform the duties of instructional aides.

The Legislature recognizes the need to provide classroom teachers and other certificated personnel with more time to teach and to provide the means for them to utilize their professional knowledge and skills more effectively in the educational programs of the public schools. It is the intent of the Legislature to authorize the employment of instructional aides in order that classroom teachers and other certificated personnel may draw upon the services of such aides to assist them in ways determined to be useful in improving the quality of educational opportunities for pupils.

Instructional aides shall not be utilized to increase the number of pupils in relation to the number of classroom teachers in any school, any school district, or in the state. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, class size ratios existing in special education classes prior to November 13, 1968, may be maintained or decreased, but not increased, by use of instructional aides. All instructional aide positions in a school district shall be assigned the basic title of "instructional aide" or other appropriate title designated by the governing board. To provide for differences in responsibilities and duties, additions to the basic title may be assigned such as "instructional aide I or II" or "instructional aide--volunteer," or other appropriate title.

(a) As used in this article, "instructional aide" means a person employed to assist classroom teachers and other certificated personnel in the performance of their duties and in the supervision of pupils and in instructional tasks which, in the judgment of the certificated personnel to whom the instructional aide is assigned, may be performed by a person not licensed as a classroom teacher.
  (b) "Any school district" means a school district or a county superintendent of schools who employs classroom teachers in the public schools.

(a) Subject to the provisions of this article, any school district may employ instructional aides to assist classroom teachers and other certificated personnel in the performance of duties as defined in Section 45343. An instructional aide shall perform only such duties as, in the judgment of the certificated personnel to whom the instructional aide is assigned, may be performed by a person not licensed as a classroom teacher. These duties shall not include assignment of grades to pupils. An instructional aide need not perform such duties in the physical presence of the teacher but the teacher shall retain his responsibility for the instruction and supervision of the pupils in his charge.
  (b) Educational qualifications for instructional aides shall be prescribed by the school district employer and shall be appropriate to the responsibilities to be assigned.

(a) No person shall be initially assigned to assist in instruction as an instructional aide unless the person has demonstrated proficiency in basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills pursuant to Section 45330.
  (b) A school district may charge prospective aides taking the district's proficiency test a fee to fund the costs incurred by the district in giving the test. This fee may be subject to negotiation between the district and the exclusive representative of instructional aides, but in no event shall the fee exceed seven dollars ($7).
  (c) An instructional aide who passes a district proficiency test as required by this section, transfers to another district, and is employed in the same capacity shall be considered to have met the proficiency standards for purposes of this section unless the district to which he or she has transferred determines that the test taken by the aide is not comparable to the standards required by the employing district.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 48950, no instructional aide shall give out any personal information concerning any pupil who is not his own child or ward, except under judicial process, to any person other than a teacher or administrator in the school which the pupil attends. A violation of this section may be a cause for disciplinary action, including dismissal.

Classroom teachers and other certificated personnel shall not be required to hold a standard supervision credential or a standard administration credential as a prerequisite to the supervision and direction of instructional aides.

(a) An instructional aide shall not be deemed a certificated employee for the purposes of apportioning state aid and no regrouping of pupils with instructional aides shall be construed as a class for apportionment purposes.
  (b) Instructional aides shall be classified employees of the district, and shall be subject to all of the rights, benefits, and burdens of the classified service, except as specified in Section 45105 for "restricted" positions.

The school district shall pay to each person employed as an instructional aide compensation at a rate not less than the minimum hourly rate prescribed by federal law.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this article, or any other provisions of law, a school district may utilize volunteers in the supervision and instruction of pupils, but any such volunteer shall be subject to the provisions of Section 35021 and this article.