Background checks will be required for early field experiences, clinical student teaching experiences, and for certification in the state of Texas. Teacher candidates pay all fees incurred. Applicants who have been convicted of a felony must identify themselves on the criminal background application form. Applicants who fail to disclose a personal felony conviction will be removed from the educator preparation program.
If you have ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor and would like to check your eligibility for teaching, you can go to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website. On this page, you will find a Preliminary Criminal History Review for Educator Certification Candidates for anon-refundable fee. This service will allow those individuals who are contemplating obtaining a Texas Teacher Certificate in the future the opportunity to have a review of an existing criminal history performed by agency staff. The review will be based solely on the information providedby the candidate and will result in a non-binding opinion issued by the agency as to whether or not the candidate would be eligible for Texas Teacher Certification at the time of the evaluation. This process does not preclude a candidate from being required to submit to a national criminal historyreview as required by statute at the time of application for educator credentials. Note: the preliminary criminal history review does not guarantee students will be able to complete field experience if rejected by a TEA-accredited site.
Failure to provide any documentation upon request by an agency, program, or school may resultin the candidate being unable to complete field experiences and the certification requirements for the TC (EPP) Educator Preparation Program.
