(a) Upon the request of an employing school district, county office of education, or state special school, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing shall determine specific requirements for and issue a one-year specialist instruction emergency permit, solely for the purpose of instructing deaf or hard-of-hearing pupils, to a prelingually deaf candidate upon medical or other appropriate professional verifications.

(b) The applicant is exempted from the requirements in Section 44252 and subdivision (b) of Section 44830.

(c) “Prelingually deaf” means, for purposes of this section, having suffered a hearing loss before three years of age that prevents the processing of linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification.

(d) The emergency specialist instruction permit issued under this section authorizes the holder to teach deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils who are enrolled in state special schools or in special classes for pupils who are deaf or hard of hearing.

(e) A one-year specialist instruction emergency permit issued pursuant to subdivision (a) may be reissued at the request of the employing school district, county office of education, or state special school in accordance with criteria determined by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 561, Sec. 34. (AB 1516) Effective January 1, 2018.)