Texas Governor Signs Bill Cracking Down on Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationships
Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 7 Thursday in an effort to crack down on inappropriate teacher-student relationships.
Under the new law, teachers will lose their teaching certification and their taxpayer pension if they are convicted of having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
The law will also punish administrators, superintendents and principals who fail to report any inappropriate relationships. School districts will also be required to adopt a written policy to prevent improper electronic communications between school employees and a student.
Some of the increased penalties include fines up to $10,000 for any superintendent or principal who fail to report the improper relationship within seven business days.
The new law also calls for jail time for concealing the relationship and suspension, revocation, or denial of the certification of educators who assist an “unscrupulous” teacher in obtaining a job at another school.
ABC 7 previously reported in a November 2016 special report that improper teacher-student relationships were on the rise in Texas. There were a total of 220 cases reported across the state in the 2015 school year.
At the time, the Texas Education Agency asked Texas Legislators to step up and toughen policies for schools statewide.
The bill will take effect on September 1, 2017.
