How do I qualify for the Senior Teacher Waiver?

If you are age 55 or older or have twenty-five (25) years of teaching experience or more at the time your professional license expires, you are eligible to renew your license under the Senior Teacher Waiver and are exempt from submitting acceptable credits to renew your license. 

To renew your current professional license under the Senior Teacher Waiver, you should visit TEACH to submit an application to renew or advance your unexpired license.  You are not required to upload transcripts or CPD credit forms to your renewal application and should select “I have no information for this section” in the Education and Continuing Education sections of your renewal application.  A member of the Employee Licensure Team will review your renewal application to confirm eligibility for the Senior Teacher Waiver.  You will receive an email notification once your application has been approved. 

NOTES:

• The Senior Teacher Waiver is not applicable to individuals holding a conditional educator license.
• Individuals holding a professional license in School Counseling are still required to meet the Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) school counselor renewal requirements:
  •  Submission of one (1) semester hour of credit, one (1) CPD, or an equivalent number of CEU’s that addresses the following:
    1. The need for intervention or referral in response to indicators of mental illness and behavior distress, including, but not limited to:
       • Depression;
       • Trauma;
       • Violence;
       • Youth Suicide; and
       • Substance Abuse
    2. The identification of professional resources and best practices for distributing resources to parents or guardians to help students in crisis.
• Individuals holding a professional license in Blind/Visually Impaired must submit a minimum of 15 PDPs in braille maintenance.