New law creates committee to temporarily suspend educator certification in certain cases

During its September meeting this week, the State Board for Educator Certification discussed Senate Bill 571, a new law that creates a Temporary Suspension Committee within SBEC that has the authority to immediately suspend an educator's certificate if certain conditions are met.

Previously, an educator had to be convicted of certain crimes to lose their certificate, but SB 571 allows SBEC to temporarily suspend a certificate if the educator is arrested for certain crimes or is deemed an "imminent threat to the public welfare," a term which SBEC will more clearly define in a future meeting. The temporary suspension would be in place while cases are litigated.

Crimes that now trigger temporary suspension of certification upon arrest include sexual misconduct with children, most violent crimes and public indecency.

TCTA will work with SBEC to ensure that the adopted process appropriately identifies educators who pose a risk of imminent threat and provides an opportunity for accused educators to respond to allegations made against them.