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TCTA’s superior legal services package comprises eight staff attorneys, a professional liability insurance policy with the best protection offered, and a $250,000 Teacher Defense Fund for hiring outside counsel if necessary.

  • Assistance directly from a licensed attorney, not a nonlawyer or union representative.
  • Information and assistance from staff attorneys on employment-related questions and problems, at no additional charge beyond your low annual dues.
  • Flexibility, with 70 attorneys retained throughout Texas to assist you when circumstances warrant.
  • A well-respected legal team led by Lonnie Hollingsworth, Jr., chosen by his peers to serve as 2004-05 chair of the School Law Section for the State Bar of Texas.
  • An online “Ask-A-Lawyer” resource center for answers to general legal questions about your job.
  • The best attorney-to-member ratio of any statewide teacher association.

INSURANCE COVERAGE
PROTECTION
PEACE OF MIND

With TCTA you get a professional liability insurance policy that was custom-designed to meet the needs of our growing membership.

  • $7 million in general liability and $2 million in civil rights coverage – WIN OR LOSE – for covered occurrences. This is the best protection available, and it is administered by an A+ rated company.
  • This policy is published and distributed every year. All coverage is subject to the terms and conditions of the policy, and you know what those are since the policy is readily available. When comparing teacher group liability coverage, if you can’t see the policy (not a summary!), don’t count on the coverage being there when you need it.
  • Some teacher group policies exclude claims by one school employee or former employee against another! TCTA's policy has no such exclusion.

Not planning to join? Read on...

Many teaching professionals can't imagine having a work-related legal problem that couldn't be resolved by friendly communication and a little common sense. But every year TCTA gets calls from hundreds of teachers saying "I think I might have a legal problem." And if they didn't join TCTA before the problem started, our team of legal professionals is forced to say, "sorry we can't help you . . ."

You don't have to be facing a pink slip or arguing with a combative parent to feel the need for legal assistance. Maybe you're being denied sick time, not getting required support for inclusion students or simply have a question about a district policy. TCTA's low annual dues will give you peace of mind without breaking the bank. We are proud to offer you access to our experienced team of legal professionals at the lowest annual rate of any Texas teacher organization.

Here are just a few of the many calls TCTA received in the past year from educators who didn't expect to need help:

  • "I am a long-time teacher (18 years) and never had any problems until I moved to a new campus with a new principal. Now I've gotten a bad appraisal and intervention plan. I feel like they're trying to force me out..."
  • "I have already signed my contract for next year, but my principal says she does not have an assignment for me and she has already filled all the teaching positions on my campus....."
  • "One of my special education students has become attracted to me. He is constantly grabbing and trying to kiss me. The child is big, and I am afraid that he may hurt me or I might hurt him when trying to defend myself. My principal thinks it's funny..."
  • "I just found out that three years ago, when I started teaching in this district, I was not given credit for all my experience. The superintendent said the district would fix this in the future and I will be paid according to my actual experience next year. But what about this year and the years since I started working here?"
  • "A child threatened to kill me because I corrected disruptive behavior. Do I have the right to search him when he comes to school?"
  • "...A 10th-grade student has been writing me love letters. I have spoken to the girl and made it clear that the letters are inappropriate, but she continues to write them. I do not want to get the student in trouble, but I'm afraid I'll get in trouble if anybody finds out about the letters, even though I've done nothing wrong..."
  • "Do I have to let the students use profanity in class?"
  • "I am a coach with a 10-month contract, but I'm now being told that coaches will have to work all summer. We never had to work summers before, but the district has sent out a letter saying this is covered in our coaching stipend..."
  • "The district is redirecting all bilingual teachers to teach K-3, and transfers are being done by seniority. I'm worried about being transferred to a school far from my home..."