The purpose of this chapter is:

1. (1) to protect the safety and welfare of Texas schoolchildren and school personnel;
2. (2) to ensure educators and applicants are morally fit and worthy to instruct or to supervise the youth of the state;
3. (3) to regulate and to enforce the standards of conduct of educators and applicants;
4. (4) to provide for disciplinary proceedings in conformity with the Texas Government Code, Chapter 2001, and the rules of practice and procedure of the State Office of Administrative Hearings;
5. (5) to enforce an educators' code of ethics;
6. (6) to fairly and efficiently resolve disciplinary proceedings at the least expense possible to the parties and the state;
7. (7) to promote the development of legal precedents through State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) decisions to the end that disciplinary proceedings may be justly resolved; and
8. (8) to provide for regulation and general administration pursuant to the SBEC's enabling statutes.

Source Note:The provisions of this §249.5 adopted to be effective March 31, 1999, 24 TexReg 2304; amended to be effective December 16, 2007, 32 TexReg 9112.