2007 Minnesota Code
Chapters 120 - 129B Education Code: Prekindergarten - Grade 12
Chapter 122A Teachers and Other Educators
Section 122A.31 AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE/ENGLISH INTERPRETERS.

122A.31 AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE/ENGLISH INTERPRETERS.
Subdivision 1. Requirements for American sign language/English interpreters. (a) In
addition to any other requirements that a school district establishes, any person employed to
provide American sign language/English interpreting or sign transliterating services on a full-time
or part-time basis for a school district after July 1, 2000, must:
(1) hold current interpreter and transliterator certificates awarded by the Registry of
Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), or the general level interpreter proficiency certificate awarded
by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), or a comparable state certification from the
commissioner of education; and
(2) satisfactorily complete an interpreter/transliterator training program affiliated with an
accredited educational institution.
(b) New graduates of an interpreter/transliterator program affiliated with an accredited
education institution shall be granted a two-year provisional certificate by the commissioner.
During the two-year provisional period, the interpreter/transliterator must develop and implement
an education plan in collaboration with a mentor under paragraph (c).
(c) A mentor of a provisionally certified interpreter/transliterator must be an
interpreter/transliterator who has either NAD level IV or V certification or RID certified interpreter
and certified transliterator certification and have at least three years interpreting/transliterating
experience in any educational setting. The mentor, in collaboration with the provisionally certified
interpreter/transliterator, shall develop and implement an education plan designed to meet the
requirements of paragraph (a), clause (1), and include a weekly on-site mentoring process.
(d) Consistent with the requirements of this paragraph, a person holding a provisional
certificate may apply to the commissioner for one time-limited extension. The commissioner,
in consultation with the Commission Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing People, must grant
the person a time-limited extension of the provisional certificate based on the following
documentation:
(1) letters of support from the person's mentor, a parent of a pupil the person serves, the
special education director of the district in which the person is employed, and a representative
from the regional service center of the deaf and hard-of-hearing;
(2) records of the person's formal education, training, experience, and progress on the
person's education plan; and
(3) an explanation of why the extension is needed.
As a condition of receiving the extension, the person must comply with a plan and the
accompanying time line for meeting the requirements of this subdivision. A committee composed
of the director of the Minnesota Resource Center Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, or
the director's designee, a representative of the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens, a
representative of the Minnesota Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf, and other appropriate persons
selected by the commissioner must develop the plan and time line for the person receiving the
extension.
(e) A school district may employ only an interpreter/transliterator who has been certified
under paragraph (a) or (b), or for whom a time-limited extension has been granted under
paragraph (d).
Subd. 2. Oral or cued speech transliterators. (a) In addition to any other requirements
that a school district establishes, any person employed to provide oral transliterating or cued
speech transliterating services on a full-time or part-time basis for a school district after July 1,
2000, must hold a current applicable transliterator certificate awarded by the national certifying
association or comparable state certification from the commissioner of education.
(b) To provide oral or cued speech transliterator services on a full-time or part-time basis, a
person employed in a school district must comply with paragraph (a). The commissioner shall
grant a nonrenewable, two-year certificate to a school district on behalf of a person who has not
yet attained a current applicable transliterator certificate under paragraph (a). A person for whom
a nonrenewable, two-year certificate is issued must work under the direction of a licensed teacher
who is skilled in language development of individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. A person
for whom a nonrenewable, two-year certificate is issued also must enroll in a state-approved
training program and demonstrate progress towards the certification required under paragraph (a)
sufficient for the person to be certified at the end of the two-year period.
(c) Consistent with the requirements of this paragraph, a person holding a provisional
certificate may apply to the commissioner for one time-limited extension. The commissioner,
in consultation with the Commission Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing People, must grant
the person a time-limited extension of the provisional certificate based on the following
documentation:
(1) letters of support from the person's mentor, a parent of a pupil the person serves, the
special education director of the district in which the person is employed, and a representative
from the regional service center of the deaf and hard-of-hearing;
(2) records of the person's formal education, training, experience, and progress on the
person's education plan; and
(3) an explanation of why the extension is needed.
As a condition of receiving the extension, the person must comply with a plan and the
accompanying time line for meeting the requirements of this subdivision. A committee composed
of the director of the Minnesota Resource Center Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, or
the director's designee, a representative of the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens, a
representative of the Minnesota Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf, and other appropriate persons
selected by the commissioner must develop the plan and time line for the person receiving the
extension.
Subd. 3. Qualified interpreters. The Department of Education and the resource center: deaf
and hard of hearing shall work with existing interpreter/transliterator training programs, other
training/educational institutions, and the regional service centers to ensure that ongoing staff
development training for educational interpreters/transliterators is provided throughout the state.
Subd. 4. Reimbursement. (a) For purposes of revenue under section 125A.78, the
Department of Education must only reimburse school districts for the services of those
interpreters/transliterators who satisfy the standards of competency under this section.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a district shall be reimbursed for the services of
interpreters with a nonrenewable provisional certificate, interpreters/transliterators employed to
mentor the provisional certified interpreters, and persons for whom a time-limited extension has
been granted under subdivision 1, paragraph (d), or subdivision 2, paragraph (c).
History: 1994 c 647 art 3 s 17; 1Sp1995 c 3 art 16 s 13; 1998 c 397 art 8 s 72,101; art 11 s
3; 1998 c 398 art 5 s 55; 2000 c 489 art 3 s 1,2; 1Sp2001 c 6 art 3 s 2; 2003 c 130 s 12