ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ

2025-26 Do Not Hire Registry Certification and Statement of Compliance

Pursuant to Senate Bill (SB 571), 89th Regular Legislative Session, educational entities are now required to annually certify compliance with the Do Not Hire Registry (DNHR).

Overview

The ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ (ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ) is committed to supporting educational entities in their efforts to maintain safe educational environments for students and staff. This letter serves to notify school systems that Chapter 22A, Subchapter D, of the Texas Education Code (TEC) requires educational entities to access the DNHR and are required to discharge, refuse to hire, terminate or refuse to accept services from a person listed on the DNHR. In addition, superintendents, chief operating officers, or directors of educational entities are required to certify annually that the district or charter school has complied with . The deadline for this submission is Friday, April 10, 2026.  

If an educator knows or should have known, through a criminal history record information review, that an employee or applicant has been convicted of certain offenses, as set forth in TEC, §22A.157(a), and the educator retains the employee or hires the applicant, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) may impose a sanction on the educator.

Districts and charter schools that fail to certify and return the attached form by the deadline may be subject to:  

1. Inclusion in a permanent public notice that lists all districts and open-enrollment charter schools that have failed to certify compliance with the Do Not Hire Registry background check requirements.
2. A special investigation as defined under TEC, §39.003 and §39.004; and
3. An investigation of the superintendent or director who has violated TEC, §11.201(d)(13), or 19 Texas Administrative Code §249.15 by failing to complete the certification as required.

Accordingly, please sign, notarize, and submit your completed 2025-2026 Annual Do Not Hire Registry Certification and Statement of Compliance via the by Friday, April 10, 2026.

Contact

If you have any questions regarding this letter, please submit your inquiry through the .