1. (a) An individual may be employed as a teaching assistant in a driver education program under the direction of a supervising driver education teacher after completing one of the following programs.

   1. (1) Teaching assistant (full). An individual may be approved as a teaching assistant (full) to assist certified teachers in the classroom phase of driver education and to conduct behind-the-wheel, multicar range, and simulator training by successfully completing one of the following requirements:

      1. (A) a program of study in driver education developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Applications are available from the TEA and must be submitted 30 days before the training program starts;
      2. (B) nine semester hours of driver and traffic safety education from an approved university that are required for driver education teacher endorsement; or
      3. (C) nine semester hours of driver and traffic safety education instructor training as outlined in Texas Civil Statutes, Article 4413(29c), §15A(b).

   2. (2) Teaching assistant (in-car only). An individual may be approved as a teaching assistant (in-car only) to conduct only in-car training by completing one of the following requirements:

      1. (A) six of the nine semester hours of driver and traffic safety education required for driver education teacher certification that include driver education in-car, simulation, and traffic safety instructor development; or
      2. (B) six semester hours of driver and traffic safety education instructor training as outlined in Texas Civil Statutes, Article 4413(29c), §15A(b).
2. (b) The TEA shall issue certificates of completed training for teaching assistants.
3. (c) To be approved, a teaching assistant in driver education must have graduated high school, have been a licensed driver for at least five years, possess a Texas driver's license valid for the type of vehicle used for instruction, and meet the driving record evaluation standards established for Texas school bus drivers.
4. (d) A teaching assistant may be trained by: an approved university as described in subsection (a)(1)(B) of this section; or by a university, college, a school district, or an education service center (ESC) as described in subsection (a)(1)(A) of this section. When the training is conducted by a college, a school district, or an ESC, the program must be approved by TEA. A driver education school licensed under Texas Civil Statutes, Article 4413(29c), may train teaching assistants as described in subsection (a)(1)(C) or subsection (a)(2)(B) of this section.
5. (e) A school district, an ESC, or a college or university that uses teaching assistants must employ driver education supervising teachers to supervise the teaching assistants. At least twice each year, the driver education supervising teacher must formally evaluate each teaching assistant giving instruction. These evaluations must become part of the teaching assistant's personnel file.
6. (f) At least once each year a school district, an ESC, or a college or university must document that each driver education teaching assistant employed in the driver education program meets the driving record evaluation standards established by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for Texas school bus drivers.

Source Note:The provisions of this §75.1003 adopted to be effective May 29, 1996, 21 TexReg 4328; amended to be effective January 1, 1999, 23 TexReg 6953.