The Board responded that Sergeant Cavazos was an eyewitness and that his testimony about the incident was not prohibited, only the use of any arrest records. 2308 (1999); see also Tex. 21.001.707. In his second issue, Gomez contends that Sergeant Cavazos's testimony should have been excluded because its admission violated the expunction order. An individual's code of ethics can include their beliefs, values and background. Admin. However, others who interact with students who are not under the auspices of an education-related licensing organization such as coaches, school secretaries, custodians or other school staff are encouraged to adopt or adapt this Model Code of Educator Ethics. See Texas Dep't of Pub. Texas Education Agency 1701 N. Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78701-1494 Fax: (512) 475-3665 All Rights Reserved. Code Ann. Ann. Admin. 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Before the hearing, Gomez filed a motion for no-evidence summary disposition, arguing that because his arrest record had been expunged, the Board could not produce any evidence in support of its claim because the expunction order and the code of criminal procedure prohibited the Board from using any records or files concerning Gomez's arrest. Thus, there was satisfactory evidence for the Board to conclude that Gomez is unworthy to instruct the youth of Texas under its interpretation of that term.9 See id . The Legislature has charged the Board with regulating the certification process and standards of conduct for educators and has given it broad discretion to adopt rules for disciplining educators. Seabolt said the comments violated the ethical conduct section of the Texas Education Code and probably violated district policies as far as interactions with the students. Teacher Retirement System of Texas Code of Ethics for Contractors Adopted: September 9, 1994 . Gov't Code Ann. This appeal followed. When Sergeant Cavazos approached the dance floor, he saw a male about ten to fifteen feet from the dance floor holding his penis in his hand and staring at the dancers as he rubbed himself. That standard provided that an educator should demonstrate conduct that follows generally recognized professional standards. Subcommittee will look into alleged campaign violations and sexual misconduct by Republican who admitted to lying The House ethics committee has opened an investigation into George Santos, the . Tex. Under these circumstances, certificate revocation is mandatory, [n]otwithstanding Section 21.041(b)(7), which establishes that the Board must provide for disciplinary proceedings to revoke a certificate. (construing scope of expunction statute and concluding that expunction order was broader than authorized by statute because order included state agency's investigation records). Ethics is the basis of trust. Evaluating licensure applications from applicants who have violated Miss. SBEC may take the following action against an educator's certificate: 4. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Tex. Communicating with courts, districts, and educators, when violations of the MS Educator Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct and/or Miss. Mail your complaint of misconduct to the TEA main address: Allegation of MisconductTexas Education Agency1701 N. Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78701-1494 Fax: (512)475-3665Email:complaintsmanagement@tea.texas.gov. 37-3-2 (11) or (12) are reported. Educ.Code Ann. 2001.174 (West 2008). Proc. In addition, the district court acted within its discretion by declining to remand this case to the Board to enable Gomez to present the November 2009 order to it. Two leaders of a Houston-based political action committee have been fined a combined $45,000 by the Texas Ethics Commission, accused of violating the state . The educator shall not knowingly misappropriate, divert or use monies, personnel, property or equipment committed to his or her charge for personal gain or advantage. at 588). Title 2, subtitle D, chapter 21 of the education code regulates educators in the public education system. All Rights Reserved. 249.15(b)(2). Indecent exposure has been included in the Priority 1 category of conduct that indicates a risk to the health, safety, or welfare of a student or minor, parent of a student, fellow employee, or professional colleague since section 249.14's adoption in 1999. See Ex parte S.C., 305 S.W.3d 258, 266 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 19.0122.12 (West 2011) (establishing offenses against the person, including criminal homicide, kidnapping, trafficking of persons, sexual offenses, and assaultive persons); Tex.Code Crim. Running afoul of your department's ethical code can have as much potential impact upon an officer's career as a violation of a departmental regulation. Nothing in subchapter B limits the Board's authority to revoke a certificate or find that a person is unworthy to instruct to only a situation in which the person has been convicted of the offenses listed in sections 21.058 and 21.060. It further explained that because the former code did not define the term, the Board chose its meaning based on the term's application in prior disciplinary decisions by the commissioner of education. It appears that maybe this additional coaching duty replaced Huertas time to meet the standards for all teachers, said Sauls. See generally Tex. Below you will find FAQs about conduct and criminal activity, disciplinary action, and filing an allegation of misconduct against an educator. Gov't Code Ann. Under the ALJ's interpretation, before the Board could revoke an educator certificate, the educator would have to have been convicted of one of the crimes listed in two code provisions; Gomez had not been convicted of a crime. Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. Read the Code of Ethics You can also download this quick PDF summary of the Code: Teacher Resigns after FERPA Violation. The American Counseling Association is the largest organization of counselors in the country, representing 45,000 members. The complaint must be in writing and signed and include the facts or documentation on which the allegation is based. This may offer you the best option to resolve your concerns. (f) The State Board for Educator Certification shall determine whether to impose sanctions, including an administrative penalty under Subsection (i), against a principal who fails to provide notification to a superintendent or director in violation of Subsection (b-2) or against a superintendent or director who fails to file a report in violation 8. The Educators' Code of Ethics is set forth in Texas Administrative Code to provide rules for standard practices and ethical conduct toward students, professional colleagues, school officials, parents, and members of the community. Reg. Code 249.5 (2011) (State Bd. TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE - TITLE 19 EDUCATION PART 7 STATE BOARD FOR EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION CHAPTER 247 EDUCATORS' CODE OF ETHICS: RULE 247.2 Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators Source Note: The provisions of this 247.1 adopted to be effective March 1, 1998, 23 TexReg 1022; amended to be effective December 26, 2010, 35 TexReg 11242 (State Board for Educator . Employee accepted two complimentary Atlanta Falcons tickets. Educ.Code Ann. At the contested-case hearing, Gomez sought a ruling on his motion to exclude Sergeant Cavazos's testimony, urging that the testimony would be derived from the expunged arrest record. In other words, we must remand for arbitrariness if we conclude that the agency has not genuinely engaged in reasoned decision-making. Id. See 19 Tex. See Marrs, 270 S.W. Contrary to Gomez's contention, the APA specifically authorizes the Board to: change a finding of fact or conclusion of law made by the [ALJ], or [to] vacate or modify an order issued by the [ALJ], only if the agency determines that the [ALJ] did not properly apply or interpret applicable law, agency rules, or prior administrative decisions The agency shall state in writing the specific reason and legal basis for a change made under this subsection. Employee solicited and received three cash loans from a permit expediter. For further information, download the REALTOR Code of Ethics or visit the National Association of REALTORS' member resources for the Code of Ethics and professional standards. for Educator Certification, Definitions) (defining unworthy to instruct as the determination that a person is unfit to hold a certificate under the [Texas Education Code], Chapter 21, Subchapter B); see also generally Tex. Communication - Teachers work with parents as a support team for each student. Gomez did not explain in his motion what caused him to wait until November 2009 to seek an order from the Hidalgo County District Court that the Board had violated the expunction order. Any assertion that teachers are violating Standard 3.2 of the Educator Code of Ethics by doing their jobs and following the prescribed health and safety guidelines is unequivocally false and. 5608 (2007), adopted 32 Tex. In his second issue, Gomez challenges the admission of Sergeant Cavazos's testimony at the December 2007 contested-case hearing because he contends that its admission violated the June 2007 order expunging records concerning his August 2003 arrest. 21.003(a) (West Supp.2010). City of Amarillo v. Railroad Comm'n of Tex., 894 S.W.2d 491, 495 (Tex.App.-Austin 1995, writ denied). Code 249.3(19), (25) (2007), amended 34 Tex. Ann. Gomez's argument that the Board used expunged records rests on his contention that Sergeant Cavazos's testimony was improper because he acquired knowledge of the arrest while a state employee and knew of the expunction order. Section 249.14 provides that the TEA staff, which provides administrative support to the Board, may set priorities for the investigation of complaints based on the severity and immediacy of the allegations and the likelihood of harm. Id. The APA code of ethics is composed of key principles and ethical standards: Principles: The principles are intended as a guide to help inspire psychologists as they work in their profession, whether they are working in mental health, in research, or in business. The ALJ concluded that two stated purposes of the Board's rules are to insure that educators are morally fit and worthy to instruct or supervise the youth of the state and to enforce the educators' ethics code. for Educator Certification, Definitions).4 The ALJ concluded, however, that the Board did not have a basis to impose discipline against Gomez's educator certificate, because she interpreted the Board's definition of unworthy to instruct or to supervise the youth of this state as including only conduct that violated chapter 21, subchapter B of the education code, which governs the certification of educators in the public education system. 1. 2001.058(e); see also 19 Tex. Section 2252.908. These fact findings provided a sufficient basis for the ALJ's legal conclusion that Gomez's conduct was an act of moral turpitude, which is defined in part as base, vile, or depraved acts that are intended to arouse or to gratify the sexual desire of the actor. 19 Tex. We presume that the legislature chooses a statute's language with care, purposefully choosing each word it includes, while purposefully omitting words not chosen. Gov't Code Ann. 5. See Tex. 11. We will affirm the district court's judgment because we find no error in the Board's final order. Impose any additional conditions or restrictions upon a certificate as deemed necessary by the SBEC. The remainder of his testimony was based only on his memory of the incident. Cavazos saw [Gomez] rubbing on his exposed penis with his hand. Finding of fact number 7 states that [o]n August 3, 2003, [Gomez] exposed his penis in public with reckless disregard as to whether others could see it and for purposes of sexual gratification.. 21.060 (West Supp.2010). As defined by title 19, section 249.3(45) of the administrative code, unworthy to instruct or to supervise the youth of this state means the determination that a person is unfit to hold a certificate under the [Texas Education Code], Chapter 21, Subchapter B Gomez urges that the ALJ's interpretation of the education code and the definition of unworthy to instructwhich would require that an educator be convicted of one of the crimes listed in two code provisions before his certificate could be revokedis correct, and thus, the Board acted in excess of its statutory authority, in an arbitrary or capricious manner, and abused its discretion because it rejected the ALJ's conclusion. The educator shall not intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly engage in deceptive practices regarding official policies of the school district, educational institution . 42.01(10) (West 2011) (reckless exposure of anus or genitals in public place). Under the Board's interpretation, engaging in conduct that rises to the level of indecent exposure is conduct that renders a person unworthy to instruct.8 The ALJ made findings of fact that Sergeant Cavazos saw Gomez rubbing his exposed penis with his hand near the dance floor and that Gomez engaged in this public conduct with reckless disregard for whether others could see it and for purposes of sexual gratification. 249.3(45) (2007) (State Bd. In the November 2009 order, the Hidalgo County District Court determined that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) had not complied with the 2007 expunction order and ordered TEA to return all records and files concerning the arrest of [Gomez] to the Court. The order reflects that TEA turned over its records at the November 2009 Hidalgo County District Court hearing. The ALJ issued the PFD on February 14, 2008. While it is true that he did not obtain the order until November 2009, the contested-case hearing occurred in December 2007. Gomez's appeal centers on the Board's decision to (1) reject the ALJ's conclusion that his conduct provided no basis for the Board to discipline him and (2) instead conclude that Gomez's conduct at the nightclub established that he is unworthy to instruct and that his educator certificate should be revoked. Gomez has not presented an issue challenging whether substantial evidence supports the Board's decision to revoke his certificate. As several of our sister courts have observed, the legislature's intent in enacting the expunction statute was not to eradicate all evidence of the conduct underlying the expunged arrest . Ex parte S.C., 305 S.W.3d 258, 266 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] When there has been no substantive change to the rule or its relevant portions, as with this rule, we will refer to the current rules for convenience. Lisa Youngblood photographed with her daughter on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, in Frisco. As the ALJ pointed out in the order denying Gomez's motion to exclude evidence, Sergeant Cavazos testified at the hearing that he had not refreshed his memory from any record subject to the expunction order, and he obeyed the ALJ's admonition not to mention any fact relating to an arrest. See Tex.Code Crim.