Teachers and other educators employed under a contract must usually request a release from their contractual obligations if they wish to resign during the school year. (Note that some contracts, particularly at charter schools and for noncertified administrative staff, may be at-will contracts that allow an employee to resign at any time.) If a request for release is necessary, the educator who wishes to resign should submit a request for release instead of a simple resignation to avoid the possible sanctions described in the next section.
The district is under no legal obligation to grant a release, though the reason for the request is invariably considered and the district is practically if not technically required to grant a release if the educator clearly has good cause to leave, such as a serious medical condition that leaves the educator unable to continue working. Even if a release is not granted, the educator can still leave—the district cannot compel the educator to continue showing up every morning—but the district can pursue sanctions for “contract abandonment” as described in the next section.
Often, the superintendent has the authority to grant a release, though rarely, if ever, does a campus principal have this authority, so a principal’s opinion will matter only so far as the superintendent and board wish it to.
Commonly, an educator will be advised they will be released when the district finds a suitable replacement. Unfortunately, the district is under no obligation to actively search for a replacement and can be “picky” about whether an available replacement is suitable.