19 Tex. Admin. Code § 227.103 - Application

(a) A request for preliminary criminal history evaluation must be preceded by payment of the required criminal history evaluation fee specified in § 230.101 of this title (relating to Schedule of Fees for Certification Services).

(b) A request for preliminary criminal history evaluation must include the following:

(1) a signed and dated application, in the form provided on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website, containing contact information and the date and description of each offense requested to be evaluated;

(2) an attached statement of the circumstances upon which the arrest is based and the disposition relating to each offense to be evaluated;

(3) court documentation relating to each offense, including, at a minimum, the formal disposition of the offense(s) and related charge(s) (e.g., Judgment, Order of Probation, Sentence, Deferred Adjudication Order, etc.); and

(4) a copy of the receipt for the request for preliminary criminal history evaluation fee.

(c) All required documents and information specified in subsection (b) of this section must be provided with the request for preliminary criminal history evaluation. Any documents or information not provided in the original request will not be considered reasonably available.

(d) The preliminary criminal history evaluation will be based solely on the application and court or law enforcement documents provided. Any information not provided by the requestor shall be considered not reasonably available at the time of the request and may be considered at the time the requestor subsequently applies for a certificate issued by the State Board for Educator Certification. Additional documentation that should be provided, if possible, includes the following:

(1) the formal charge(s) (e.g., indictment, information, or complaint);

(2) evidence that the condition(s) of the court have been met (e.g., completion of probation, receipt for restitution, etc.); and

(3) any available law enforcement report(s) describing the offense or the investigation of the offense.

(e) The application, the statement of circumstances, the required court documentation, and a copy of the receipt for the request for preliminary criminal history evaluation fee must be submitted to the TEA division responsible for educator investigations by United States certified mail, return receipt requested, to the address provided on the application or by facsimile to the facsimile number provided on the application.

(f) A request for preliminary criminal history evaluation is incomplete unless it includes a copy of the receipt for the request for preliminary criminal history evaluation fee, a completed application, a statement of circumstances, and the required court documentation. The TEA staff will take no action on a request that is incomplete.

(g) All documents submitted in connection with a request for preliminary criminal history evaluation, whether complete or incomplete, will not be returned to the requestor. All documents will be retained or destroyed by the TEA in accordance with the TEA records retention schedule.

Notes

19 Tex. Admin. Code § 227.103

The provisions of this §227.103 adopted to be effective October 28, 2010, 35 TexReg 9501; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 41, Number 08, February 19, 2016, TexReg 1246, eff. 2/28/2016; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 43, Number 21, May 25, 2018, TexReg 3359, eff. 6/3/2018; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 30, July 26, 2024, TexReg 5535, eff. 8/4/2024