St. Paul Public Schools officials are investigating how two staff members at Creative Arts Secondary were allowed to teach for years without teaching licenses.

The school’s principal and assistant principal were placed on leave as a result of the matter, but they returned to work this week. Meanwhile, two licensed teachers were put in charge of the high school photography and recording arts classes that had been led by unlicensed paraprofessionals.

Students and parents were told Monday that grade-point averages and the fulfillment of graduation requirements could be affected. But in interviews Tuesday, district officials said they would not remove courses or credits from students’ transcripts.

“Our goal is to hold them harmless,” said Theresa Battle, assistant superintendent for high schools.

The school, on Kellogg Boulevard in downtown St. Paul, has about 400 students in grades six through 12. Fifty-five of them are seniors.

The licensing problem will not stop anyone from graduating this spring, but one student due to graduate in summer “may have to do something additional to graduate,” district spokeswoman Toya Stewart Downey said.

Adam Bucher, hired in October 1999, has been teaching recording arts classes at Creative Arts. Cadex Herrera, hired in October 2000, has been teaching media arts.

Neither has ever had a teaching license or special permission to teach without a license, said Laurin Cathey, the district’s human resources director.

Cathey said his office does a report on unlicensed teachers with special permission to teach, but there is no formal way to check whether any paraprofessionals were teaching.

Battle said she uncovered the licensing problem at Creative Arts a few weeks ago during the budgeting process.

Battle said she doesn’t know yet how the two were hired into teaching roles.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. That’s why we have an investigation,” she said.

Cathey said there’s no reason to believe there are other paraprofessionals teaching in the district, but the investigation may need to expand to other schools.

After school Tuesday, sophomore Francia Ortega said her adviser told her “it might affect our credits” and that a meeting Tuesday with school officials didn’t clear things up.

“They don’t even know what’s going on, either,” she said.

District officials said they would examine each student’s record to make sure all graduation requirements are being met, but that no student will have credits removed.

Battle said the school plans to offer photography and recording arts classes again next school year but that won’t be determined until fall.

Josh Collins, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Education, said the department will be contacting the district to make sure licensed teachers are in the classrooms. But it’s up to the district to make determinations about credits.

“Districts are responsible for conferring credits and diplomas, and school boards are responsible for ensuring a district is complying with statutory requirements,” he said by email.

Collins said the state had no record of a teaching license or special permission for either Bucher or Herrera until Tuesday, when Herrera filed for a one-year license.

Bucher and Herrera could not be reached for comment.

Josh Verges can be reached at 651-228-2171. Follow him at twitter.com/ua14.