Utah Board Allows Schools to Hire Untrained Teachers

Despite an overflowing crowd of vocal opponents at last month’s public hearing, the Utah State Board of Education will now allow teacher applicants to have just a bachelor’s degree in any field, pass a state certification test and background check, and complete an ethics review. No college-level training courses in teaching are required, as was previously the case for alternative certification applicants. Teachers and state Democrats vociferously opposed the new law, while board members cited a desperate need to staff classrooms. (Education Week)