(a) A county board may make an agreement or financial arrangement with an institution of higher education that satisfies the conditions of § 11-202 of this article, to provide classroom or administrative office experience for student teachers and student interns.
(b) The institution of higher education and the county board where the student teaching center program is adopted shall:
(1) Approve or select jointly the supervising teachers, who are employees of the county board, to serve in the program; and
(2) Adopt an agreed, continuing, in-service improvement program for the supervising teachers.
(c) (1) While the student teacher is assigned as a student teacher, he shall be given the same authority as if he were a certificated employee of the county board to which he is assigned.
(2) The authority of the student teacher extends to:
(i) Every aspect of student management or discipline;
(ii) The handling of records of students; and
(iii) Any other aspect of authority granted to a certificated employee of a county board.
(d) Student teachers and student interns are considered agents of the county board for the limited purposes of:
(1) Comprehensive liability insurance coverage under § 4-105 of this article; and
(2) Workers’ compensation coverage under the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Act, but this coverage is not to exceed the salary of a first year teacher in the county school system.