1. (a) Pursuant to this chapter, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) may take any of the following actions:

   1. (1) place restrictions on the issuance, renewal, or holding of a certificate, either indefinitely or for a set term;
   2. (2) issue an inscribed or non-inscribed reprimand;
   3. (3) suspend a certificate for a set term or issue a probated suspension for a set term;
   4. (4) revoke or cancel, which includes accepting the surrender of, a certificate without opportunity for reapplication for a set term or permanently; or
   5. (5) impose any additional conditions or restrictions upon a certificate that the SBEC deems necessary to facilitate the rehabilitation and professional development of the educator or to protect students, parents of students, school personnel, or school officials.

2. (b) The SBEC may take any of the actions listed in subsection (a) of this section based on satisfactory evidence that:

   1. (1) the person has conducted school or education activities in violation of law;
   2. (2) the person is unworthy to instruct or to supervise the youth of this state;
   3. (3) the person has violated a provision of the educators' code of ethics;
   4. (4) the person has failed to report or has hindered the reporting of child abuse or the known criminal history of an educator as required by law and §249.14 of this title (relating to Complaint, Required Reporting, and Investigation; Investigative Notice; Filing of Petition);
   5. (5) the person has abandoned a contract in violation of the Texas Education Code, §§21.105(c), 21.160(c), or 21.210(c);
   6. (6) the person has failed to cooperate with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in an investigation; or
   7. (7) the person has committed an act described in §249.14(g) of this title (relating to Complaint, Required Reporting, and Investigation; Investigative Notice; Filing of Petition), §249.12(b) of this title (relating to Administrative Denial; Appeal), or §249.16(b) of this title (relating to Eligibility of Persons with Criminal Convictions for a Certificate under Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 53).
3. (c) The TEA staff may commence a contested case to take any of the actions listed in subsection (a) of this section by serving a petition to the certificate holder in accordance with this chapter describing the SBEC's intent to issue a sanction and specifying the legal and factual reasons for the sanction. The certificate holder shall have 30 calendar days to file an answer as provided in §249.27 of this title (relating to Answer).
4. (d) Upon the failure of the certificate holder to file a written answer as required by this chapter, the TEA staff may file a request for the issuance of a default judgment from the SBEC imposing the proposed sanction in accordance with §249.35 of this title (relating to Disposition Prior to Hearing; Default).
5. (e) If the certificate holder files a timely answer as provided in this section, the case will be referred to the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) for hearing in accordance with the SOAH rules; the Texas Government Code, Chapter 2001; and this chapter.
6. (f) The provisions of this section are not exclusive and do not preclude consideration of other grounds or measures available by law to the SBEC or the TEA staff, including student loan default or child support arrears. The SBEC may request the Office of the Attorney General to pursue available civil, equitable, or other legal remedies to enforce an order or decision of the SBEC under this chapter.

Source Note:The provisions of this §249.15 adopted to be effective March 31, 1999, 24 TexReg 2304; amended to be effective December 16, 2007, 32 TexReg 9112; amended to be effective June 21, 2009, 34 TexReg 3944.