Educational entities must not hire or keep certain employees or applicants once disqualifying criminal history is found, with some exceptions.
Sec. 22A.157. EMPLOYEES AND APPLICANTS CONVICTED OF OR PLACED ON DEFERRED ADJUDICATION COMMUNITY SUPERVISION FOR CERTAIN OFFENSES. (a) An educational entity shall discharge or refuse to hire an employee or applicant for employment if the entity obtains information through a criminal history record information review that the employee or applicant has been: (1) convicted of or placed on deferred adjudication community supervision for an offense described by Section 22A.201(a)(1); or (2) convicted of an offense described by Section 22A.201(a)(2). (b) Subsection (a) does not apply if the employee or applicant for employment committed an offense under Title 5, Penal Code and: (1) the date of the offense is more than 30 years before: (A) the effective date of S.B. No. 9, Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, in the case of a person employed by a school district, open-enrollment charter school, or shared services arrangement as of that date; or (B) the date the person's employment will begin, in the case of a person applying for employment with a school district, open-enrollment charter school, or shared services arrangement after the effective date of S.B. No. 9, Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007; and (2) the employee or applicant for employment satisfied all terms of the court order entered on conviction. (c) An educational entity may not allow a person who is an employee of or applicant for employment by a qualified school contractor or an entity that contracts with the entity to serve for the entity if the entity obtains information described by Subsection (a) through a criminal history record information review concerning the employee or applicant. An educational entity must ensure that an entity that the educational entity contracts with for services has obtained all criminal history record information as required by Section 22.0834. (d) An educational entity or private school may discharge an employee if the entity or school obtains information of the employee's conviction of a felony or of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude that the employee did not disclose to the board or the entity or school. An employee discharged under this section is considered to have been discharged for misconduct for purposes of Section 207.044, Labor Code. (e) The board may impose a sanction on an educator who does not discharge an employee or refuse to hire an applicant for employment if the educator knows or should have known, through a criminal history record information review, that the employee or applicant has been: (1) convicted of or placed on deferred adjudication community supervision for an offense described by Subsection (a)(1); or (2) convicted of an offense described by Subsection (a)(2). (f) Each school year, the superintendent of a school district or chief operating officer of an open-enrollment charter school shall certify to the commissioner that the district or school has complied with this section. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1372 (S.B. 9), Sec. 10, eff. June 15, 2007. Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1070 (H.B. 3270), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2017. Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 943 (H.B. 3), Sec. 2A.015, eff. September 1, 2019. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 871 (H.B. 4123), Sec. 3, eff. June 13, 2023. Transferred, redesignated and amended from Education Code, Section 22.085 by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1138 (S.B. 571), Sec. 1.20, eff. June 20, 2025. SUBCHAPTER E. DENIAL OR REVOCATION OF EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION FOR MISCONDUCT