Requires teacher education programs to provide credit hours and licensed teachers to participate in professional development regarding social and emotional learning and in social work

HB 2534 requires all Missouri teacher education programs to include at least three credit hours of coursework on social and emotional learning (SEL) and social work in education. It also mandates that licensed teachers complete at least three hours of annual professional development in these areas through school district training. The bill directly affects teacher training institutions, current educators, and school districts by establishing concrete requirements for both initial teacher preparation and ongoing professional development. These provisions aim to integrate SEL and social work skills into educator training and practice, with specific credit hour and training hour requirements.