The State Board of Education gave final approval at its January meeting to amend rules of the State Board for Educator Certification related to contract abandonment and the circumstances under which teachers may resign from an employment contract without penalty.

TCTA supported the changes and urged flexibility with regard to sanctions when a change in a teacher’s personal situation or workplace occurs in which the teacher feels unsafe or experiences unsatisfactory working conditions.

The amended rules take effect March 2. Click here to read more.

Have questions about the changes?

Join us at 6 p.m. CST on March 1 for the next Tuesdays with TCTA webinar. TCTA staff attorneys will review the amended rules and answer members' questions about contracts. Click here to register and submit questions.

Texans trust teachers most — more than principals, district administrators, school boards and state elected officials — to do what’s best for students, according to the annual Charles Butt Foundation poll released this week.

“When Texans are asked how much they trust various groups to make decisions that are in the best interests of public school students, teachers are rated the highest, trusted a great deal or good amount by seven in 10 Texans,” the foundation reported. “It’s six in 10 for school principals, dropping to about four in 10 for local school boards and district administrators alike and falling further, to 24%, for state elected officials.”

Most respondents also recognized that teachers face significant obstacles, such as an over-reliance on student standardized test scores and too many administrative burdens, and said they deserve better pay and appreciation.

The poll examines attitudes about public education and covers a broad array of education issues, including equity barriers, testing and accountability and the school funding. Read more of the poll findings here.

TCTA lobby team members Paige Williams and Pamela McPeters explain what you need to know before voting in the 2022 elections, which begin with the March 1 primaries. This 30-minute video reviews the legislative outlook for public education in Texas and explains how you can find and support education-friendly candidates. The primaries are often the best time for teachers to have an impact and help make public education a key issue in every legislative session. Watch the video now.

Early voting is Feb. 14-25. Feb. 18 is the last day to request a ballot by mail. Before you cast your ballot, learn more about the candidates for Texas House, Texas Senate and the State Board of Education on TCTA's election website, TexasTeachersVote.org. You can look up your legislative districts, find links to candidate websites and social media, and see how incumbents voted on key education issues in 2021.

Raise Your Hand Texas plans several candidate forums in February that will focus exclusively on public education issues. All candidates on the ballot in selected Texas House and Senate districts are invited to participate, and no candidate is endorsed. Click here for more information.

COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant have declined across most of Texas during the past week, but many districts continue to deal with staffing shortages.

Responding to a request from TCTA, Education Commissioner Mike Morath highlighted TEA's free lesson plan resources during a recent call with superintendents. The printable, TEKS-aligned materials, which are available to all Texas educators, substitutes and school districts, cover a wide range of K-12 topics. TCTA attorneys have heard from members for years that lesson plans often require hours of preparation and extensive detail. Morath said the resources may help teachers, including when preparing for a substitute.

TRS-ActiveCare and TRS-Care Standard plans are now reimbursing the costs of up to eight COVID-19 at-home test kits each month for participants. You can find more information and download forms on the TRS COVID-19 page by clicking on the “COVID-19 Test Coverage” block.

Reimbursement is not currently available for TRS-Care Medicare Advantage plan participants, but the federal government will mail four free at-home test kits to every household in the country. Click here to request your tests.

A parent filed a complaint of negligent supervision against an employee of an after-school program after the parent found her 5-year-old child several blocks away from the school, walking toward home alone. Video of the incident showed the child tried to escape twice and was stopped by two adult supervisors in the room before a third successful attempt in which the child left the building.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services conducted an investigation and concluded that there was "reason to believe" that both adults had been negligent in supervising the child. The employee appealed that determination to the Texas Court of Appeals. Click here to read more.

We hope you'll join us for TCTA's 2022 Annual Meeting from 1 to 3 p.m. CST on Saturday, Feb. 26, on Zoom. View the meeting agenda or register now. Links to the meeting and other materials will be emailed to delegates and member guests beginning Feb. 21. Registration ends Feb. 24.

TEA is seeking educators to review and provide feedback on potential test questions for future STAAR Alternate 2 assessments. Committees will begin work as early as May 19. Click here for more information and instructions on how to apply.

HB 785 passed in the 2021 session amends statutory requirements related to student behavior plans, Functional Behavioral Assessments, and requirements for the documentation of student restraint and use of time-out. TEA put together this FAQ with answers to commonly asked questions about the changes. It also revised its sample Written Summary of Restraint form. It's available in English and Spanish.

UTeach at the University of Texas at Austin offers research-based, online blended learning professional development facilitated by expert educators that provides the six hours of gifted/talented continuing professional education credit that teachers need each school year. Most educators start with the Foundations of Blended Learning course. TEA reimburses districts for the registration cost of the courses.