Students are required to secure and maintain an instructional position at a school that complies with the admissions criteria for their program and campus.
If students’ employment situations change in any way during their enrollment at Relay, they must notify Relay within one business day by sending an email to support@relay.edu (which will get to Relay’s administrative offices and the student’s campus Dean’s Office) and to their faculty advisor if they have not secured a new teaching location. If they have secured a new teaching placement, they must submit the student update form.
Below, please see students’ responsibilities for when common changes to employment occur.
Loss of Position and/or Membership
If students lose their instructional position and/or they are no longer a member of a teacher-preparation program such as Teach For America or New York City Teaching Fellows, it is their responsibility to inform Relay within one business day by sending an email to support@relay.edu (which will get to Relay’s administrative offices and the student’s campus Dean’s Office) and to their faculty advisor.
Students who have lost their instructional position must secure a new position in a placement that aligns to their Relay campus and academic program within 30 consecutive days from loss of employment that is effective immediately. Once students secure new positions, they must notify Relay immediately by submitting a student update form.
Students will be subject to administrative withdrawal if they fail to notify Relay of their loss of employment and/or membership within one business day and/or fail to secure new positions within 30 consecutive days. Relay may also immediately process administrative withdrawals for students who lose their membership in a teacher-preparation program.
Relay may immediately process administrative withdrawals for students who lose their positions and/or memberships due to sufficient evidence that they have physically, sexually, emotionally, or otherwise harmed a PK–12 student and/or colleague, or committed a felony or misdemeanor. Relay will determine what is considered sufficient evidence of harm. Please see the Code of Conduct for further details.
For information on Residents who do not successfully secure a full-time teaching placement by the first day of the fall term in their second year in the program, please see Residency Assessments and Gateways.
Subject and/or Grade-Level Change
The subject and grade level of students’ instructional positions must match their Relay major and, when appropriate, their Relay concentration. In addition, their instructional position must match their certification pathway when required by Relay and/or the state of their Relay campus. Students’ majors will determine the content courses they are registered for by the Registrar’s Office each term (e.g., students with childhood education majors will be enrolled in childhood content coursework). If students change their instructional position, it is their responsibility to inform Relay within one business day by submitting a student-update form immediately and notifying the Registrar’s Office at support@relay.edu and faculty advisor.
If the switch in major or content concentration requires a switch in content courses, depending on the campus state instructional content hours to successfully complete a program, it may take longer for students to complete their program and, if applicable, receive certification endorsement from Relay. Students can learn more about state-specific requirements by reaching out to their campus Dean’s Office.
PK–12 Student Cohort Change
Students must make every reasonable effort to work with a consistent group of students throughout the academic year that matches their Relay major, and when appropriate, their Relay concentration. If changes to their group of students occur during the year, it is their responsibility to inform Relay within one business day by sending an email to the Registrar’s Office at support@relay.edu and faculty advisor.