| IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED |
April 19, 2000
TO THE SUPERINTENDENT ADDRESSED :
Subject: School District Teaching Permits
In 1995, the 74th Legislature enacted into law Texas Education Code § 21.055, School District Teaching Permit (SDTP). This section grants school districts the authority to issue a SDTP to an individual without a teaching certificate. In the past, you have been required to submit the following documents to the agency for determining whether a person is qualified to teach:
- TEA Form ED-001,
- appropriate college transcripts, and
- a description of relevant experiences related to the teaching assignment.
In order to respond to your requests in a more timely fashion, we are now requiring that you conduct a criminal history inquiry and submit the report along with the documents listed above. Texas Education Code § 22.085 authorizes local districts to obtain a criminal history report for any person they intend to employ. The criminal history report may be obtained from any law enforcement or criminal justice agency. The application process is not complete and activated until the documents listed above and the criminal history report are received by TEA. A district may send a notarized photocopy of the criminal history report as long as the original is maintained in the district personnel files.
If you have questions or need further clarification, please contact Bobby W. West in the division of Educator Development Projects at (512) 475-1233.
Sincerely,
Jim Nelson
Commissioner of Education
For further information on this topic, contact the Division of Educator Development Projects at (512) 475-1233.