HOUSTON – Senator Bettencourt (R-Houston) is applauding the release of the "Do-Not-Hire Registry" by the Texas Education Agency. This registry was created by amending Senate Bill 1256, authored by Senator Bettencourt, to House Bill 3, authored by Representative Dan Huberty (R-Houston) & sponsored by Senator Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) during the last Legislative Session. This builds upon the implementation of Senate Bill 7 from the 2017 Legislative Session which sought to stamp out the growing scourge of inappropriate student-teacher relationships. Both public schools and private schools will have access to the Do-Not-Hire Registry and will help them stamp out inappropriate teacher-student relationships. More information on the updated Commissioner Rules here: https://bit.ly/2uhGGae

"The Do-Not-Hire Registry is important to finally stop passing the "trash" from one school district to the next, or between public and private schools," said Senator Bettencourt. "These adults have no business preying on kids for sexual relationships and should not have a job in any part of the education system in Texas!"

The legislation includes the following changes:

• Requiring schools to report certain allegations of misconduct against non-certified employees and,
• Creating a registry of individuals who are not eligible for hire in a Texas public school based on misconduct or criminal history

The most recent numbers from the Texas Education Agency, derived from a four month comparison period in Fiscal Year 2019 and Fiscal Year 2020, shows there have been an increase in cases of alleged teacher-student misconduct, from 99 cases in fiscal year 2019 to 140 cases in fiscal year 2020. School districts are not allowed to hire any individual who has been placed on the Do-Not-Hire Registry. For more information on the 'Do Not Hire' registry visit: https://bit.ly/35sWGmI. The Reporting portal and public view of the Registry are scheduled for release later this Spring.

"Inappropriate relationships between students and educators must be stamped out. We’re talking about the safety of our kids. We cannot afford to turn a blind eye or sweep these issues under the rug anymore," continued Senator Bettencourt. "I would like to thank TEA Commissioner Mike Morath and his team for getting this important issue started at the beginning of the new year!"

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