The School Board of Highlands County welcomes former military veterans to teach with us!

Effective July 1, 2022, Florida issues a 5 year Temporary Certificate for military veterans who have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree and meet the following preliminary requirements:

• Minimum of 48 months of active duty military service with an honorable discharge or a

  medical separation on a DD214;

• Minimum of 60 college credits with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on an official

  transcript; and

• Passing score on a Florida subject area examination for bachelor’s level subjects (except

  Exceptional Student Education K-12) which demonstrates mastery of subject area

  knowledge.

Applicants who meet the preliminary requirements will be issued a Statement of Eligibility with the following final requirements:

• Employment in a Florida school district, including charter schools, with an assigned

  mentor

• Cleared background screening

The law further provides that a temporary certificate will be valid for a period of five (5) years. Veterans who successfully obtain their 5 year temporary teaching certificate will be assigned a mentor teacher for a minimum of two years to support their classroom teaching endeavors. They must also earn their bachelor’s degree during the 5 year period to be eligible for a full professional certificate; the temporary certificate cannot be renewed once it expires. Veterans utilizing this temporary certificate may not teach subject areas that require a Master’s Degree.

Military spouses and families are not eligible for this certification pathway.

Before applying for this pathway, complete a waiver request for the Military Certification Fees Waiver (MCFW). The online application for Temporary Military Veterans Certificate can be found at: https://web03.fldoe.org/MilitaryWaiver

For more information please visit the FLDOE at: https://www.fldoe.org/veterans/