Teachers who serve as substitutes in Menlo Park classrooms must have passed the California Basic Educational Skills Test and possess a valid California teaching credential. The district continually strives to recruit high quality substitutes for our classrooms. All regular classes are staffed with teachers holding appropriate credentials. Part-time staff also possess the appropriate credentials for their assignments. By district contract, all permanent teachers are evaluated every two years, and every non-tenured employee is evaluated three times each year.
Administrators participate in ongoing inservice to refine skills in supervision.
The district values teachers' and administrators' professional development as a source and stimulus of student growth and achievement, and as an ongoing process of personal growth, learning, and satisfaction for the individual staff member. The MathLand Program by Creative Publications, as well as 'Math Their Way', and a variety of math manipulative programs, make up the Laurel mathematics program. This partnership includes eight school districts and Hewlett-Packard, and provides training for our lead science teacher, as well as a menu of professional development opportunities for all classroom teachers in the area of science with connections to math and technology. Laurel's disaster plan is annually reviewed and updated by our Laurel Disaster Preparedness committee. Laurel School has a low crime rate.