The board must employ and supervise an executive director. The executive director must meet stated minimum qualifications, and the department must track certain actions and report quarterly data to the board and the Sunset Advisory Commission.
Sec. 203.002. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. (a) The board shall: (1) employ an executive director to administer the department; and (2) supervise the director's administration of the department. (b) The executive director must possess the following minimum qualifications: (1) five years of experience in the field of juvenile corrections or congregate care in an administrative capacity; (2) three years of experience in the field of juvenile corrections or congregate care in an administrative capacity and a graduate degree from an institution of higher education in a relevant field, including penology, adolescent development, behavior management, or rehabilitative services; or (3) seven years of experience in management and administration of a government agency, institution of higher education, or business enterprise of a size comparable to the department. (c) The department shall track the frequency with which the executive director takes the following actions as defined by department rule: (1) selects a child for a conditional placement; (2) selects a child for a home placement; (3) waives the requirement for a child with a determinate sentence to spend the child's entire minimum period of confinement in a high-restriction facility; (4) waives the requirement for a child to be on intensive supervision when initially released on parole; (5) authorizes early discharges for a child on parole; or (6) finalizes an appeal brought by an advocacy group or social service provider who was denied certain access to department facilities. (d) The executive director shall provide the board and the Sunset Advisory Commission at the beginning of each calendar quarter aggregated data on the number of times each action described by Subsection (c) was taken during the previous calendar quarter. Added by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 85 (S.B. 653), Sec. 1.002, eff. September 1, 2011. Amended by: Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 950 (S.B. 1727), Sec. 19, eff. September 1, 2023.