Licensed teachers in Texas have dedicated their time and energy to becoming practitioners of among of the most vital of professions to our state’s future well-being. Among the many challenges a teacher in Texas may face in the course of their chosen profession is the occasional allegation of improper behavior before the Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). Any such complaint may be considered to threaten their license. We consider it absolutely imperative that they hire an experienced professional license attorney to give them the best change possible to continue in their vocation. This goes double in the case of an accusation of having misappropriated school funds.
SBEC is a subsidiary of the Texas Education Agency that is charged with enforcing the Educator’s Code of Ethics—found in Texas Administrative Code section 247.2. Included in the list of behaviors that SBEC may contend with are requirements that teachers not engage in deceptive or fraudulent practices; that they avoid acts amounting to sexual misconduct; that they refrain from physically mistreating a student; that they do not reveal confidential information about a student; and that they refuse to accept any gift that may impair personal judgment. And, importantly, they also must not misappropriate school privileges or property.
Misappropriation of school property can take a number of forms, many of which are germane mainly to treasurers in the school system. But importantly, when a teacher is, for example, charged with coordinating student events—such as homecoming or student trips—they must never use any monies collected for the holding of those events for any purposes or activities other than those the funds are to be earmarked for. Especially not if such purposes or activities could be considered personal activities or, for that matter, if this includes the keeping of these funds or depositing them into a personal checking or savings account.
A charge of such misappropriation, even if unfounded, can have serious ramifications on a teacher’s reputation and livelihood. If you find yourself alleged to have engaged in such behavior, in order to give yourself the best chance of a favorable outcome, you should contact an experienced license defense attorney as soon as possible. BERTOLINO LLP will go the distance, from the very first stage of the process (where we can be effective at forestalling disciplinary proceedings) to the end of any disciplinary proceedings that may occur as a result.
To best serve our clients, we have offices in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. Contact us today or call (512) 476-5757 and schedule a case evaluation.
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