Chapter 49.85(f) Exceptional Case Policy

Pursuant to 22 Pa. Code § 49.85(f), the Secretary of Education has the authority to approve individual LEA requests for assigning staff to positions outside of the age and grade levels between Early Childhood, Elementary/Middle, Special Education PreK-8, and Special Education 7-12. These policy guidelines describe the process LEAs must follow in order to request an exception.

Exceptional Case Application Process

Step 1: A Local Education Agency (LEA) may request an exception of the grade and age levels described above by submitting a formal written request from the Chief Officer of the LEA to the Director of the Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality. The formal request must include a detailed explanation of why the request is necessary and must include the reasons for not using the appropriate certificate. We will review all requests for exceptions on a case-by-case basis relying on all relevant information provided in the application.

Step 2: The educator for which the exception is being requested must submit an Exceptional Case application through the Teacher Information Management System (TIMS). See attached instructions

The official exception letter will be mailed to the requesting LEA and should be kept in the educator’s personnel file. However, official verification of the exception can also be viewed in the educator’s profile on the TIMS Public website.