79-807.

Terms, defined.

For purposes of sections 79-806 to 79-815, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Board means the State Board of Education;

(2) Certificate means an authorization issued by the commissioner to an individual who meets the qualifications to engage in teaching, providing special services, or administering in prekindergarten through grade twelve in the elementary and secondary schools in this state;

(3) Commissioner means the Commissioner of Education;

(4) Department means the State Department of Education;

(5) Human relations training means course work or employment experiences that lead to (a) an awareness and understanding of the values, lifestyles, contributions, and history of a pluralistic society, (b) the ability to recognize and deal with dehumanizing biases, including, but not limited to, sexism, racism, prejudice, and discrimination, and an awareness of the impact such biases have on interpersonal relations, (c) the ability to translate knowledge of human relations into attitudes, skills, and techniques which result in favorable experiences for students, (d) the ability to recognize the ways in which dehumanizing biases may be reflected in instructional materials, (e) respect for human dignity and individual rights, and (f) the ability to relate effectively to other individuals and to groups in a pluralistic society other than the applicant's own;

(6) Special education training means course work or employment experiences that provide an individual with the knowledge of (a) the exceptional needs of the disabilities defined under the Special Education Act, (b) the major characteristics of each disability in order to recognize its existence in children, (c) the various alternatives for providing the least restrictive environment for children with disabilities, (d) methods of teaching children with disabilities in the regular classroom, and (e) prereferral alternatives, referral systems, multidisciplinary team responsibilities, the individualized education program process, and the placement process;

(7) Special services means supportive services provided to students that do not primarily involve teaching, including, but not limited to, (a) audiology, psychology, and physical or occupational therapy, (b) the coaching of extracurricular activities, and (c) subject areas for which endorsement programs are not offered by a standard institution of higher education; and

(8) Standard institution of higher education means any college or university, the teacher education programs of which are fully approved by the board or approved in another state pursuant to standards which are comparable and equivalent to those set by the board.