1. (a) The Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff shall develop procedures to:

   1. (1) notify educators at least six months prior to the expiration of the renewal period to the email address as specified in §230.91 of this title (relating to Procedures in General);
   2. (2) consider requests for hardship when circumstances beyond the control of the educator such as catastrophic illness of the educator or an immediate family member or military service of the educator prevented completion of the renewal requirements. If a hardship exemption is granted, the educator will be given a designated amount of time to complete the required number of continuing professional education clock-hours, apply, and pay the appropriate fee. The granting or denial of a request for extension of a renewal deadline shall be solely within the discretion of TEA staff and shall not be subject to appeal;
   3. (3) confirm compliance with all renewal requirements pursuant to this subchapter;
   4. (4) notify educators who are not renewed due to noncompliance with this section; and
   5. (5) verify that educators applying for reactivation of certificate(s) under §232.9 of this title (relating to Inactive Status and Late Renewal) are in compliance with subsection (b)(2)-(6) of this section.

2. (b) To be eligible for renewal, an educator must:

   1. (1) satisfy continuing professional education requirements, pursuant to §232.11of this title (relating to Number and Content of Required Continuing Professional Education Hours);
   2. (2) hold a valid standard certificate that is not currently suspended and has not been surrendered in lieu of revocation or revoked by lawful authority;
   3. (3) not be a respondent in a disciplinary proceeding under Chapter 249 of this title (relating to Disciplinary Proceedings, Sanctions, and Contested Cases);
   4. (4) successfully resolve any reported criminal history, as defined by §249.3 of this title (relating to Definitions);
   5. (5) not be in default on a guaranteed student loan reported by the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation or a judgment debt for a student loan owed to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, unless repayment arrangements have been made;
   6. (6) not be in arrears of child support, pursuant to the Texas Family Code, Chapter 232;
   7. (7) pay the renewal fee, pursuant to §232.25 of this title (relating to Fees Payable Upon Certificate Renewal or Reactivation), which shall be a single fee regardless of the number of certificates being renewed; and
   8. (8) submit fingerprints in accordance with §232.35(c) of this title (relating to Submission of Required Information) and the TEC, §22.0831.
3. (c) When renewing career and technical education certifications that require licensure, certification, or registration by a state or nationally recognized accrediting agency as a professional practitioner in one or more approved occupations for which instruction is offered, licensure, certification, or registration shall be current and in good standing.
4. (d) The TEA staff shall renew the certificate(s) of an educator who meets all requirements of this subchapter.
5. (e) The State Board for Educator Certification shall stay the renewal of an educator's certificate(s) who fails to comply with subsection (b)(3) of this section, pending resolution of the disciplinary action. A certificate that is not suspended, surrendered in lieu of revocation, or revoked shall be renewed upon the final resolution of the disciplinary action provided that all other requirements have been satisfied. The renewal of a suspended certificate shall be stayed until the certificate has been reinstated. Payment of a late fee shall not be required if the late renewal is solely due to the pendency of a disciplinary action or to a suspension.

Source Note:The provisions of this §232.7 adopted to be effective August 12, 2012, 37 TexReg 5764.