Any person employed as a member of the instructional staff shall hold a valid Florida Teaching Certificate except as noted elsewhere in policy. All instructional staff shall be entitled to and shall enter into a written contract with the School Board as provided by law. All contracts shall be on forms prescribed by the Commissioner of Education. Any member of the instructional staff who is willfully absent from duty without leave shall forfeit compensation for the time absent, and his/her contract shall be subject to cancellation by the Board.

Each member of the instructional staff shall receive an annual or professional services contract in accordance with the provisions of law. The contract shall be in accordance with the duly adopted salary schedule of the Board and shall be for a definite term of service. A true signed copy shall be retained by the Board in the office of the Superintendent. The first ninety-seven (97) work days of the initial contract shall be a probationary period during which the employee may be dismissed without cause.

The minimum time which may be recognized as a year of service for contractual purposes shall be full-time actual service rendered under contract for more than one-half (1/2) of the number of days or more than one-half (1/2) the number of total hours required for the normal contractual period of service for the position held. In determining such service, sick leave and holidays for which the employee received compensation shall be counted, but all other types of leave and holidays shall be excluded.

Any claim to a year of service for salary purposes shall be the equivalent of the service required for a continuing, professional service, annual, or multi-year contract. Credit for service rendered in another state or as otherwise allowed under the adopted salary schedule shall be determined by using the minimum service required in the District for a comparable position and in accordance with the contract agreement between the Board and the local education association.

In determining the number of days which must be served to constitute a full year of out-of-state teaching experience, the existing regulations of the state or District in which the contract was executed shall be used as the Charlotte County criteria.

F.S. 1012.33