§ 115C-300.1.  New teacher induction programs.

(a) Induction Program. - The State Board of Education shall develop a new teacher induction program to provide ongoing support for teachers entering the profession.

(b) New Teacher Guidelines. - For the purpose of helping local boards to support new teachers, the State Board shall develop and distribute guidelines that address optimum teaching load, extracurricular duties, student assignment, and other working condition considerations. These guidelines shall provide that teachers holding initial professional licenses not be assigned extracurricular activities unless they request the assignments in writing and that other noninstructional duties of these teachers be minimized.

(c) Mentor Teacher Training. - The State Board shall develop and coordinate a mentor teacher training program. The State Board shall develop criteria for selecting excellent, experienced, and qualified teachers to be participants in the mentor teacher training program as follows:

(1) Mentor teachers shall be either of the following:

a. Teachers rated, through formal evaluations, at least at the "proficient" level as part of the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation System.

b. Retired teachers.

(2) The principal shall determine which mentor teacher best meets the needs of each new teacher and shall assign the most appropriate mentor teacher to that new teacher, with priority consideration for those mentor teachers rated as "distinguished" and "accomplished."

(3) If a principal determines that a teacher rated as "proficient" or a retired teacher is the most appropriate mentor for a new teacher, the principal shall maintain records of the reasons for that determination.

(4) A teacher may be a mentor at a different school building from which the mentor is assigned if the following criteria are met:

a. The principals of each school and the mentor teacher approve of the assignment.

b. The mentor teacher is rated, through formal evaluations, at least at the "accomplished" level as part of the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation System.

c. The new teacher's principal maintains a record of the reasons for selecting the mentor from a different school building. (2017-189, ss. 3(b), 6(o).)