Are school districts required to do criminal background checks on teachers and other employees or applicants for employment?
Persuant to TEC Section 22.082, criminal background checks are made by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) as part of the certification process. As to whether criminal history records are checked on a repeated basis after a teacher becomes certified, you should contact SBEC. Pursuant to TEC Section 22.083, a school district, private school, regional education service center, or open-enrollment charter school may have access to the criminal history records of all employees, volunteers, applicants for employment, or persons who intend to serve as volunteers. While a school district, private school, or service center may do background checks on employees and volunteers, they are not required to do so (with the exception of bus drivers, as discussed below). However, an open-enrollment charter school is required to obtain criminal history records for any person prior to employment or service as a volunteer.
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