Texas Teacher Misconduct Reports Triple as New Accountability Laws Come Into Effect

Texas parents deserve to know that the adults entrusted with their children are being held to the highest possible standards. New data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) shows just how important that responsibility has become.

According to reporting by Erin Anderson of Texas Scorecard, Texas received 19,766 educator misconduct reports during Fiscal Year 2026, nearly three times the 6,456 reports received during FY 2025.

Anderson’s reporting found that TEA received an average of approximately 1,647 misconduct reports every month during FY 2026. At the same time, the number of individuals placed on Texas’ Do Not Hire Registry reached an all-time high of 1,070, including 624 permanent placements and 455 temporary placements.

That registry exists for a simple reason. Someone who has demonstrated that they should not be trusted around children should not simply be allowed to find another job in a Texas public school.

The nearly 20,000 reports are allegations or reports received by TEA. They are not 19,766 proven cases of misconduct. Every report undergoes preliminary review, and not every report results in a formal investigation or disciplinary action. TEA reported 13,688 educator misconduct cases under review as of August 31, according to the data reported by Texas

Scorecard. More than half involved allegations of in-school violence.

The agency was also reviewing 3,040 sexual-misconduct cases, including allegations involving improper sexual conduct with students, school-related sexual abuse, and abuse of children outside of school.

One major reason the number of reports has increased is that Texas changed its laws. In 2025, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 571, authored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt and was signed into law. The law significantly expanded the state's educator misconduct reporting framework.

Among other changes, SB 571 expanded reportable misconduct to include inappropriate communications with students and failures to maintain appropriate boundaries. It also expanded reporting requirements beyond certified teachers to cover additional school employees and service providers who have direct contact with students.

The law also tightened reporting deadlines. Under the new framework, principals generally must notify superintendents or directors within 48 hours after becoming aware of evidence of specified misconduct, while superintendents and directors have corresponding reporting obligations to the state.

The Legislature specifically provided for investigations to continue even if an educator resigns. That matters because a resignation should never become a loophole allowing a potentially dangerous employee to quietly leave one school and appear at another. Texas law also created additional mechanisms for placing individuals on the state's Do Not Hire Registry while investigations are pending in certain circumstances.

For years, one of the most troubling concerns surrounding educator misconduct has been what is commonly called “passing the trash”, the practice of an employee leaving one school or district after allegations of misconduct and subsequently obtaining employment somewhere else.

SB 571 was designed in part to address that problem.

The law expanded reporting requirements, strengthened employment-history disclosures, expanded the state's registry, and required greater transparency surrounding misconduct allegations. It also requires TEA to publish quarterly information regarding educator, employee, contractor, and service-provider misconduct, including reports received, investigations, and sanctions.

In June, TEA launched its Educator Misconduct Dashboard and Student Protection Resource Center, providing the public with information about misconduct reports, investigations, State Board for Educator Certification actions, and Do Not Hire Registry placements. TEA specifically described the dashboard as a resource designed with parents and taxpayers in mind.

The agency also appointed Levi Fuller as Inspector General for Educator Misconduct in February 2026. Commissioner Mike Morath said Fuller would help hold bad actors accountable and restore confidence in the teaching profession. The creation of an Inspector General dedicated to educator misconduct represents another step toward ensuring that allegations are not simply buried in bureaucratic paperwork.

Texas Family Project thanks Erin Anderson and Texas Scorecard for bringing this important data to the public's attention. Children deserve protection. Parents deserve transparency. And bad actors have no business working around Texas children.