(1)(a) A person working as a paraeducator for the employing school district before or during the 2017-18 school year must meet the requirements of subsection (2) of this section by the date of hire for the 2019-20 school year or any subsequent school year.

(b) A person who has not previously worked as a paraeducator for the employing school district must meet the requirements of subsection (2) of this section by the date of hire for the 2018-19 school year or any subsequent school year.

(2) The minimum employment requirements for paraeducators are as provided in this subsection. A paraeducator must:

(a) Be at least eighteen years of age and hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, as described in WAC 179-03-022; and

(b) In addition, a paraeducator must meet one or more of the following:

(i) Have received a qualifying score on the education testing service paraeducator assessment as published by the professional educator standards board; or

(ii) Hold an associate degree or higher from an accredited college or university; or

(iii) Have earned seventy-two quarter credits or forty-eight semester credits at the one hundred level or higher at an accredited college or university; or

(iv) Have completed an apprenticeship as a paraeducator, in a program registered with the Washington state apprenticeship and training council.