Recent guidelines from the Georgia Department of Education which local officials say appear to relax requirements for teachers of gifted education and English to Speakers of Other Languages would be “a step backward” for the state, according to Hall County Schools Superintendent Will Scofield. However, a spokesperson for the state Department of Education responded saying that the recent guidelines in the district’s Every Student Succeeds Act reflect what has been practice in the state for years allowing waivers for some certification requirements. “The issue that has concerned me is not only gifted, but also English Language Learners, that there’s some great flexibility for districts to say they can make their own determinations about who teaches those children,” Schofield said.