The purpose of this bulletin item is to provide information on how to request a conditional, temporary or alternative permit for teachers who have been hired to start in SPRING 2026 and may not have all their necessary documentation prior to the first day of school with students.

Conditional Permits:

• A Conditional Permit allows someone to sign a contract and work as a certified staff member with a location (school system) limitation and deficiencies that have not been met to be issued a regular teaching certificate such as a content test.
• A Conditional Permit can also be requested for someone who has applied for a local substitute permit and has not completed the human relations training course and/or is waiting on fingerprint clearances from the Nebraska State Patrol.  

Alternative Permits:

• An Alternative Permit is designed for an applicant to complete a program before applying for a regular certificate while being employed as a contracted teacher. Filling out this form verifies that applicant is hired as a teacher for your district. 

Temporary Certificates:

• A Temporary Certificate is designed for an applicant that is currently a para in a Nebraska school system but is being hired as a teacher on a full-time basis and has taken and passed the appropriate Praxis Content Test. This form does not verify the paraprofessional status of the applicant. You will need to include a letter and/or contract to nde.tcertweb@nebraska.gov. 

Conditional Permits, Alternative Permits and Temporary Certificates can only be requested for employment in a Nebraska school system.  If an applicant has not been a continuous resident of Nebraska for the last five years, fingerprint cards will need to be sent to the certification office before any permits can be issued. Once…Read More › – Conditional, Alternative and Temporary Certificate/Permit Request Form

Contact Information: Educator Certification (nde.tcertweb@nebraska.gov or 402-471-0739)

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) is aware of the continued shortage of substitute teachers in school systems this school year.

The Commissioner may authorize additional days for local substitute teaching permit holders upon request by a Nebraska school system that demonstrates a need for additional days, beyond the 90 full-time days per school year currently allowed. To authorize the additional days, the Department must receive a request from a Nebraska school system that demonstrates need.

To facilitate school system requests, the Department has created an online form. You or your school system staff can access that form here: Local Substitute Teaching Permit – Request for Additional Days Form. The form does allow for a single request that would cover all local substitute permit holders, which would eliminate the need for submission of multiple forms.

Once a request has been submitted, it will be reviewed, and the school system will be notified of the authorization. Please direct any questions about the process to the accreditation team by emailing nde.accreditation@nebraska.gov.

Contact Information: NDE Accreditation - nde.accreditation@nebraska.gov