Requirements for Certified Educators and Non-Certified Employees
Video Tutorial
TEA recently created a video tutorial detailing the fingerprinting upload Process for school district and charter schools.
Tutorial Document
In addition to the video tutorial, please refer to this document for details about the upload process.
Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 22, Subchapter C requires the following to be fingerprinted prior to employment:
- All certified educators (those holding an educator certification or Emergency Teaching Permit issued by the State Board for Educator Certification [SBEC])
- All classroom substitute teachers and educational aides, whether certified or not
- Non-certified employees hired by a district or charter school on or after 1/1/08 (including applicants for a School District Teaching Permit)
- Charter school employees, whether certified or not, working in a teaching or professional position
- Contracted employees hired on or after 1/1/08 who have direct contact with students
Name-Based Background Check Requirements
The following are subject to a name-based background check per Texas Education Code (TEC) § 22.0835:
- Non-certified employees hired before 1/1/08
- Contracted employees hired before 1/1/08 who have direct contact with students
- Student teachers
- Volunteers, unless they are a parent, grandparent, or guardian of a student; a person accompanied on campus by a district employee; or a person volunteering for a single event
Procedures for New Hires
To initiate the fingerprint process, school districts or charter schools upload all new hires to the Educator Certification Online System (ECOS).
Certified employees
Certified educators submit payment of $40.25 in order to conduct the national criminal history background check through DPS, FBI and Texas Education Agency (TEA). This fee is paid in ECOS.
- Once payment has been submitted in ECOS, the certified educator will be contacted by MorphoTrust/Identogo via email to schedule an appointment to be fingerprinted. A valid photo ID is required at the time of the appointment.
- Certified educators use Texas MorphoTrust/Identogo locations. Educators are required to pay an additional $10.00 fee for scanning of fingerprints at the time of the appointment.
- TEA receives the fingerprinting results 5-7 business days after the fingerprint appointment.
- Certified educators must fingerprint before the first day of employment.
Non-certified employees
- Non-certified employees will be contacted by MorphoTrust/Identogo via email to schedule an appointment to be fingerprinted.
- Non-certified employees/or the district pay the national criminal history background check fee of $38.25 to the DPS digital fingerprint vendor, MorphoTrust/Identogo, and an additional $10.00 fee for scanning of fingerprints at the time of the appointment.
- Non-certified employees must fingerprint before the first day of employment.