20-4-301. Duties of teacher — nonpayment for failure to comply. (1) A teacher under contract with a district shall:

Terms Used In Montana Code 20-4-301

  • Board of public education: means the board created by Article X, section 9, subsection (3), of the Montana constitution and 2-15-1507. See Montana Code 20-1-101
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • County superintendent: means the county government official who is the school officer of the county. See Montana Code 20-1-101
  • district: means the territory, regardless of county boundaries, organized under the provisions of this title to provide public educational services under the jurisdiction of the trustees prescribed by this title. See Montana Code 20-6-101
  • District superintendent: means a person who holds a valid class 3 Montana teacher certificate with a superintendent's endorsement that has been issued by the superintendent of public instruction under the provisions of this title and the policies adopted by the board of public education and who has been employed by a district as a district superintendent. See Montana Code 20-1-101
  • Person: includes a corporation or other entity as well as a natural person. See Montana Code 1-1-201
  • Principal: means a person who holds a valid class 3 Montana teacher certificate with an applicable principal's endorsement that has been issued by the superintendent of public instruction under the provisions of this title and the policies adopted by the board of public education and who has been employed by a district as a principal. See Montana Code 20-1-101
  • Pupil: means an individual who is admitted by the board of trustees pursuant to 20-5-101 and who is enrolled in a school established and maintained under the laws of the state at public expense. See Montana Code 20-1-101
  • school: means an institution for the teaching of children that is established and maintained under the laws of the state of Montana at public expense. See Montana Code 20-6-501
  • Teacher: means a person, except a district superintendent, who holds a valid Montana teacher certificate that has been issued by the superintendent of public instruction under the provisions of this title and the policies adopted by the board of public education and who is employed by a district as a member of its instructional, supervisory, or administrative staff. See Montana Code 20-1-101
  • Trustees: means the governing board of a district. See Montana Code 20-1-101

(a)conform to and enforce the laws, board of public education policies, and policies of the trustees of the district;

(b)use the course of instruction prescribed by the trustees;

(c)keep, in a neat and businesslike manner, a teacher’s register of attendance and grades;

(d)within 10 days after the conclusion of each school semester, prepare a report that must include the pupil attendance and absence data from the teacher’s register and grades. The report must be submitted to:

(i)the district superintendent, if there is one;

(ii)the principal of the school, if there is one and there is no district superintendent; or

(iii)the county superintendent or all county superintendents when the teacher is reporting for a joint district, if there is no district superintendent or principal.

(e)exercise due diligence in the care of school grounds and buildings, furniture, equipment, books, and supplies; and

(f)provide moral and civic instruction by:

(i)endeavoring to impress the pupils with the principles of morality, truth, justice, and patriotism, including any curriculum related to the flag prescribed by the trustees;

(ii)teaching the pupils to avoid idleness, profanity, and falsehood;

(iii)instructing the pupils in the principles of free government and training them to comprehend the rights, responsibilities, and dignity of American citizenship.

(2)The trustees are authorized to withhold the salary warrant of any teacher who does not comply with the provisions of subsection (1)(a) or (1)(b) until the teacher does comply with the provisions.

(3)The trustees may not pay any teacher the teacher’s last month’s salary until the teacher has provided a complete and accurate semester report to the required person, as determined by the person and as required in subsection (1)(d).