Notification of Teacher Qualification Requirements

Parent notifications regarding the professional qualifications of a student’s teacher and paraprofessional are required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Texas Education Code § 21.057.

ESSA Requirements

In schools receiving Title I funds, the district is required by ESSA to provide two types of notices to parents. At the beginning of the school year, the district must notify the parents of each student attending any Title I campus that the district will provide upon request (and in a timely manner), information regarding the qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals providing services to their student. A sample ESSA Parent Notification of Teacher and Paraprofessional Qualifications is available in English and Spanish in the HR Services Resource Library (member login required).

ESSA also requires any campus receiving Title I funds to provide parents timely notice in the event their child has been assigned to or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet applicable state certification or licensure requirements at the grade level and subject area in which the teacher is assigned. To the extent practicable, the notice must be provided in a language the parents can understand. A sample ESSA Parent Notice of Teacher Assignment is available in English and Spanish in the HR Services Resource Library.

Texas Requirements

Texas law requires that parents be notified if their child is assigned for more than 30 consecutive instructional days to an uncertified substitute, inappropriately certified teacher, or an uncertified teacher. The state notification does not apply if the district is required to send the ESSA notice.

Inappropriately certified or uncertified teachers include individuals on an emergency permit (including individuals waiting to take a certification exam) and individuals, including substitutes, who do not hold any certificate or permit.

Inappropriately certified or uncertified status does not apply if the individual:

• Has a temporary classroom assignment permit (TCAP)
• Is in an alternative certification program
• Is serving with a school district teaching permit
• Holds an out-of-state/country one-year permit
• Has a hearing impairment certificate
• Serves under a waiver granted by the commissioner of education

Districts must make a good-faith effort to ensure the notice is provided in a bilingual form to any parent or guardian whose primary language is not English. A sample SBEC Parent Notice that meets the state requirement is available in English and Spanish in the HR Services Resource Library.

Other Notification Requirements

Additional information about required parent notification, including certain circumstances of educator misconduct and school marshal appointments, can be found in the HR Services Resource Library topic Parent Notification Requirements.