The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has been streamlining its public information as the number of educator misconduct reports has tripled compared to the previous year.
TEA provides public information about educator investigations to help Texans understand how many reports of educator misconduct are received and how those reports are resolved. This includes both the Educator Misconduct Reporting Dashboard and public reports of final disciplinary actions issued by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). These transparency efforts support student safety and strengthen accountability across Texas schools.
The Educator Misconduct Reporting Dashboard, required by Senate Bill 571 (89th Texas Legislature), provides an interactive view of educator misconduct reports at key stages of the investigation and sanction process. It includes data on reports submitted to TEA, cases under review, SBEC disciplinary actions, and the number of individuals placed on the Do Not Hire Registry.
The dashboard is organized into four main tabs that include all misconduct reports, educator investigations, SBEC sanctions and the Do Not Hire Registry.
Of the 19,766 reports filed between Sept. 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026, the TEA conducted 13,916 investigations, with an average of 1,160 per month, and 8,610 confirmed reports to law enforcement or DPS, according to the agency’s Educator Misconduct Reporting Dashboard.
It reported 7,395 of the cases investigated were closed after the TEA’s preliminary review, most of which were due to a lack of evidence.
Mandatory reporters are required to notify both law enforcement and the TEA when allegations are made. Both then begin separate investigations.
Levi Fuller, the TEA Inspector General for Educator Misconduct, said his agency will suspend an educator’s license following an arrest as the agency waits for the legal process to play out.
“As a matter of policy, we always prioritize the law enforcement side of things,” Fuller said. “Our policy and our posture is that we want the criminal proceeding to go first.”
Even if the legal proceedings end with no conviction, the TEA will move forward with an ethics investigation into that educator where there was arrest that was later no billed by the grand jury, or there was an acquittal.
Fuller said the TEA will still independently investigate that case to determine if it’s a violation of the Educator Code of Ethics.”
The TEA’s Educator Investigations Division “evaluates criminal history information and reports of misconduct to determine whether disciplinary action should be taken against an educator’s certificate or, for non certified school employees, whether the individual is eligible for continued employment in Texas public schools”. If the division finds enough evidence to move forward with disciplinary action in a case, Fuller says a trial will go before the State Office of Administrative Hearings for a disciplinary proposal. Fuller explained the trial involves similar witness testimony, evidence, and sworn statements as a criminal trial.
Fuller said the agency’s ethics investigation - regardless of whether an educator is not charged or is acquitted is to ensure children are safe within their schools.
Once an investigation is complete and if the educator is found guilty of violating the ethics code, the State Board for Educator Certification will take disciplinary action against educator certificates. The Commissioner of Education issues final decisions in certain disciplinary cases, as authorized by state law. An educator who is penalized will be added to the TEA’s “Do Not Hire” registry, which schools are required to check before hiring. Fuller says of the 800,000 education employees, there are about 2,100 cases that are related to misconduct but consider it a small number and not indicative of a systemic failure.
While Fuller maintains the Texas education system is strong and safe overall, he encourages parents to have open and honest conversations with their children about what is and is not appropriate educator behavior and to report any experience deemed as inappropriate.