§ 1700. Investigation
(a) Investigation committee. Upon receiving notice of either an applicant’s appeal of a licensing office decision
or an allegation of unprofessional conduct or incompetence on the part of a licensee,
the hearing panel administrative officer shall assign one or more of its licensee
members to serve on an investigation committee with an investigator and prosecuting
attorney assigned by the Secretary of Education to investigate the licensing decision
or allegation and make recommendations to the Secretary in accordance with subsections
(b) and (d) of this section. Teacher members shall be assigned to assist in the investigation
of matters involving teachers and administrator members in matters involving administrators.
Members shall not serve on a hearing panel regarding any matter they assisted in investigating.
If the administrative officer is unable to assign one or more members to the investigation
committee by reason of disqualification, resignation, vacancy, or necessary absence,
the officer shall appoint ad hoc members who shall meet the requirements of subsection 1693(b) of this title.
(b) Preliminary review. After conducting a preliminary review of an allegation of unprofessional conduct or
incompetence or of a denial of a license based on alleged unprofessional conduct or
incompetence, the investigation committee shall make a recommendation to the Secretary
regarding whether to conduct a formal investigation.
(c) Formal investigation. If the Secretary decides to conduct a formal investigation, the Secretary shall:
(1) notify the educator and direct the investigation committee to proceed with a formal
investigation; and
(2) notify the superintendent of the school district in which the educator may be employed,
or if the educator is currently employed as a superintendent, the chair of the board
of the supervisory union or supervisory district that employs the superintendent,
that the office has commenced a formal investigation of an allegation of unprofessional
conduct or incompetence and shall specify the provisions of section 1698 of this title that best describe the allegation.
(d) Recommendation. Upon completing its investigation, the investigation committee shall recommend that
the Secretary, with respect to a license application, affirm, or reverse a licensing
office decision or, with respect to alleged unprofessional conduct or incompetence,
issue, or not issue formal charges.
(e) Professional guidance. In its recommendation as to whether the Secretary should issue formal charges and,
if so, what form they should take, the committee may consider the effect it believes
its professional guidance may have in mitigating the need for and nature of licensing
action. (Added 2005, No. 214 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 1, 2007; amended 2013, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 165, eff. Feb. 14, 2014.)