2023 Texas Statutes › Government Code › Title 4 - Executive Branch › Subtitle B - Law Enforcement and Public Protection › Chapter 411 - Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas › Subchapter F. Criminal History Record Information › Section 411.097. Access to Criminal History Record Information: Local and Regional Educational Entities

Sec. 411.097.  ACCESS TO CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD INFORMATION: LOCAL AND REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL ENTITIES.  (a)  A school district, charter school, private school, regional education service center, commercial transportation company, or education shared services arrangement, or an entity that contracts to provide services to a school district, charter school, or shared services arrangement, is entitled to obtain criminal history record information as provided by Subsection (c-1) that the district, school, service center, shared services arrangement, or entity is required or authorized to obtain under Subchapter C, Chapter 22, Education Code, that relates to a person who is:
(1)  an applicant for employment by the district, school, service center, or shared services arrangement;
(2)  an employee of or an applicant for employment with a public or commercial transportation company that contracts with the district, school, service center, or shared services arrangement to provide transportation services if the employee drives or the applicant will drive a bus in which students are transported or is employed or is seeking employment as a bus monitor or bus aide on a bus in which students are transported;
(3)  an employee of or applicant for employment by an entity that contracts to provide services to a school district, charter school, or shared services arrangement as provided by Section 22.0834, Education Code;
(4)  an employee of or applicant for employment by a subcontractor of an entity that contracts to provide services to a school district, charter school, or shared services arrangement as provided by Section 22.0834, Education Code; or
(5)  a tutor who provides services on behalf of a service provider that offers accelerated or supplemental instruction under Section 28.0211, Education Code.
(b)  A school district, charter school, private school, regional education service center, or education shared services arrangement is entitled to obtain criminal history record information as provided by Subsection (c-1) that the district, school, service center, or shared services arrangement is required or authorized to obtain under Subchapter C, Chapter 22, Education Code, that relates to a person who is a volunteer, student teacher, or employee of the district, school, service center, or shared services arrangement.
(c)  An open-enrollment charter school is entitled to obtain criminal history record information as provided by Subsection (c-1) that relates to a person who:
(1)  is a member of the governing body of the school, as defined by Section 12.1012, Education Code; or
(2)  has agreed to serve as a member of the governing body of the school.
(c-1)  Subject to Section 411.087 and consistent with the public policy of this state:
(1)  a school district, charter school, regional education service center, or education shared services arrangement is entitled to obtain through the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history record information maintained or indexed by that bureau that pertains to a person described by Subsection (a), (b), or (c), as applicable; and
(2)  a school district, charter school, private school, regional education service center, commercial transportation company, or education shared services arrangement, or an entity that contracts to provide services to a school district, charter school, or shared services arrangement, is entitled to obtain from the department or any other criminal justice agency in this state criminal history record information maintained by the department or that criminal justice agency that relates to a person described by Subsection (a), (b), or (c), as applicable.
(d)  A school district, charter school, regional education service center, or education shared services arrangement may not release or disclose to any person criminal history record information obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Subsection (c-1)(1). Criminal history record information obtained by a school district, charter school, private school, service center, commercial transportation company, or shared services arrangement, or obtained by an entity that contracts to provide services to a school district, charter school, or shared services arrangement, under Subsection (c-1)(2) in the original form or any subsequent form:
(1)  may not be released to any person except:
(A)  the individual who is the subject of the information;
(B)  the Texas Education Agency;
(C)  the State Board for Educator Certification;
(D)  the chief personnel officer of the transportation company, if the information is obtained under Subsection (a)(2); or
(E)  by court order; and
(2)  is not subject to disclosure as provided by Chapter 552.
(e)  If a regional education service center or commercial transportation company that receives criminal history record information from the department under this section requests the information by providing to the department a list, including the name, date of birth, and any other personal descriptive information required by the department for each person, through electronic means, magnetic tape, or disk, as specified by the department, the department may not charge the service center or commercial transportation company more than the lesser of:
(1)  the department's cost for providing the information;  or
(2)  the amount prescribed by another law.
(f)  An employee of a school district, charter school, private school, regional education service center, commercial transportation company, or education shared services arrangement or an entity that contracts to provide services to a school district, charter school, or shared services arrangement may request from the employer a copy of any criminal history record information relating to that employee that the employer has obtained as provided by Subchapter C, Chapter 22, Education Code.  The employer may charge a fee to an employee requesting a copy of the information in an amount not to exceed the actual cost of copying the requested criminal history record information.
(g)  A school district, charter school, private school, regional education service center, commercial transportation company, or education shared services arrangement or an entity that contracts to provide services to a school district, charter school, or shared services arrangement, as applicable, is not prohibited from disclosing criminal history record information obtained under Subsection (c-1)(2) in a criminal proceeding or in a hearing conducted by the Texas Education Agency or the State Board for Educator Certification.
(h)  A school district, charter school, private school, regional education service center, commercial transportation company, or education shared services arrangement or an entity that contracts to provide services to a school district, charter school, or shared services arrangement, as applicable, shall destroy criminal history record information that is obtained under this section after the information is used for its authorized purpose.
Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 790, Sec. 35, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.  Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 27, eff. May 30, 1995;  Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1438, Sec. 13, eff. Sept. 1, 1997;  Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1504, Sec. 33, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.
Amended by:
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1372 (S.B. 9), Sec. 22, eff. June 15, 2007.
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1372 (S.B. 9), Sec. 23, eff. June 15, 2007.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1146 (H.B. 2730), Sec. 9A.04, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1070 (H.B. 3270), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2017.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 871 (H.B. 4123), Sec. 19, eff. June 13, 2023.