A school district has the discretion to determine the number of days of the teacher contract year to devote to staff development and teacher preparation days. Staff development must be predominantly campus based and must be developed and approved by the campus site-based decision-making committee.
In designing staff development, a school district must use procedures that, to the greatest extent possible, ensure the training incorporates proactive instructional planning techniques using a flexible framework that:
District-provided staff development may include training in:
(A) technology and digital learning; and
(B) positive behavior intervention and support strategies, including classroom management, district discipline policies, and the student code of conduct adopted under Chapter 37.
The district also may use staff development that is designed and approved by the district-level site-based decision-making committee. The district must provide scientifically based staff development relating to the instruction of students with disabilities to educators who work primarily outside of special education and who do not possess the knowledge and skills necessary to implement the individualized education programs of students receiving instruction from the educators.
School districts must provide training in
This training must use a program based upon best practices and recommended by the Health and Human Services Commission/TEA. The training may include two or more of the listed topics together (a TCTA-initiated provision).
The suicide prevention training may be satisfied through independent review of suicide prevention training material that complies with TEA guidelines and is offered online.
Districts must increase awareness and implementation of trauma-informed care through a training program selected from a list established under Section 38.351, Education Code. The training must address how grief and trauma affect student learning and behavior and how evidence-based, grief-informed, and trauma-informed strategies support the academic success of students. In addition, the training must be provided as part of any new employee orientation for all new school district educators. For existing educators, districts must follow the requirements outlined in Senate Bill 1267, passed in 2021 (see "professional learning policies" below). Districts are required to maintain records of staff who participated in the training.
Prevention techniques for and recognition of sexual abuse, trafficking and all other maltreatment of children also must be provided as part of new employee orientation. For existing educators, districts and charter schools must follow the requirements outlined in SB 1267. The district must maintain records that include the staff who participated in the training.
Early mental health intervention and suicide prevention training must be provided to teachers, counselors, principals and other appropriate personnel in accordance with the requirements of SB 1267. The district must maintain records that include the employees who participated in the training.
All school nurses and other school employees in regular contact with students must complete a TEA-approved online course of instruction regarding seizure recognition and related first aid. Training on use of the bleeding control station is required for district peace officers, security personnel and any others who might reasonably be expected to use a bleeding control station.
School districts must provide training in the administration of an opioid antagonist to school personnel and school volunteers in campuses serving students in grades 6-12, and are required to have at least one trained school employee or volunteer present during regular school hours.
School districts that adopt policies regarding the maintenance, administration, and disposal of epinephrine auto-injectors or medication for respiratory distress must provide training to authorized school personnel and school volunteers regarding administration of these, and are required to have one or more persons authorized and trained at each campus.
School districts may require school district employees who have access to a local government computer system or database to complete a cybersecurity training program, but only the district’s cybersecurity coordinator is required to complete annual training.
District-offered staff development also may count toward the continuing professional education requirement for standard certification. However, it is the teacher, not the district, who determines whether any district-offered staff development also will count toward the teacher’s required CPE hours.
State law requires school district/open-enrollment charter school multihazard operations plans to include:
At least 25% of school district employees who regularly interact with students must complete mental health training regarding students who experience a mental health or substance use issue that may pose a threat to school safety by the 2025-26 school year. That percentage must increase by at least 25% of employees each year so that 100% of employees complete the training before the beginning of the 2028-29 school year.
The training is not required for employees who have previously completed similar training (mental health first aid) by a local mental health authority. TEA will provide allotments to help districts pay the costs of travel, training fees and compensation for employee time spent completing the training. Educators can receive CPE credit for the training.
Threat assessment and safe and supportive school program teams must report to TEA the number and percentage of school personnel trained in suicide prevention or grief/trauma-informed practices, mental health or psychological first aid for schools, training related to a safe/supportive school program or any other program identified by the commissioner.
Recent legislation added crisis prevention and intervention training requirements for school district personnel as part of the commissioner-adopted procedures for the use of restraint and time-out with special education students. Specifically, the commissioner must adopt standards for determining which personnel, including support staff and law enforcement, should receive the training and the amount of training required, prioritizing personnel with the highest risk of being involved in a student-involved crisis situation.
The commissioner must also make recommendations for the frequency of the training as included in the SBEC-published continuing education and training clearinghouse, as well as provisions allowing for any of the training to be combined or substituted for other related training that addresses the majority of the content required for crisis prevention and intervention training. The commissioner has yet to adopt rules for this new training, but expects to do so later this school year.
All school districts/open-enrollment charters must ensure that each K-3 classroom teacher has attended a teacher literacy achievement academy. New teachers must attend an academy by the end of their first year of assignment in those grades.
Teachers holding all-level certification in art, health education, music, physical education, speech communication and theater arts are exempt from the requirement.
The completion of a literacy achievement academy by an educator who teaches students with dyslexia satisfies the CPE requirement and a training requirement adopted by the State Board of Education related to the screening or treatment of a student for dyslexia or a related disorder.
Recent legislation provides funding for stipends for classroom teachers who are required to attend the literacy academies, and who complete that coursework outside of contract hours. Such teachers are entitled to receive a stipend of $50 per hour, beginning with the September 2025 cohort. In addition, a district may provide a stipend to a teacher who provides instruction to students in a grade level above third grade who attends the academy outside of contract hours with district approval.
Recent legislation provides that all school districts/open-enrollment charters must ensure that each K-3 classroom teacher providing mathematics instruction must have attended a mathematics achievement academy not later than the 2030-31 school year. The new law also applies to each principal, assistant principal, mathematics instructional coach and mathematics interventionist at a campus with one of those grade levels. After 2030-31, all new K-3 teachers and principals must attend the math academy by the end of their first year of assignment in those grades.
Legislation provides funding for stipends for classroom teachers who are required to attend the math academies, and who complete that coursework outside of contract hours. Such teachers are entitled to receive a stipend of $50 per hour, beginning Sept. 1, 2025. In addition, a school district must provide a stipend to a classroom teacher who provides math instruction to students in a grade level above third grade and attends outside of contract hours with district approval.
Eligible teachers who completed a math academy on or before Aug. 31, 2025, will receive a one-time $350 stipend from TEA.
State law prohibits TEA from requiring annual assessment training for anyone other than the campus test coordinator; however, the campus test coordinator can require other employees to repeat assessment training.
Additionally, TEA may not require a school district employee to repeat training or online calibration activities related to administering the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment (TELPAS), unless the administration or the assessment has changed significantly since the employee completed the training. The school district employee assigned to oversee TELPAS administration at a campus may, at their discretion, require other district employees involved in administering the TELPAS to complete training or online calibration activities.
A school district employee may not be required to complete a training or online calibration activity in one sitting.
Under Senate Bill 1267, passed in 2021, the State Board for Educator Certification publishes a clearinghouse of all educator training requirements, with best practices and industry-based frequency recommendations for local boards to consider annually in adopting local professional development policies.
That policy must note any differences adopted by the district or charter school from SBEC’s recommendations. It also must include a schedule of all training required for educators or other school personnel at the district or school.
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