Office of the General Counsel

The Office of General Counsel Division provides information and resources about legal issues related to Titles 1 and 2 of the Texas Education Code (TEC), as well as other TEC provisions for primary or secondary education that affect Texas public education.  Our office answers general questions and provides information about state law but cannot provide legal advice to any party.

Resource Guide

Process Server Methods of Service

The agency may receive citations via email, but it will not be considered as proper notification/filing and will be considered as a courtesy that the Agency should be expecting a lawsuit.  A person may email their courtesy citation/suit to tealegal@tea.texas.gov and make an appointment to deliver service on Tuesday or Thursday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., or use the service by mail method.  

Please note, a process server may not leave a citation/lawsuit with the Agency Receptionist unless it has been authorized by the Office of General Counsel Division to accept the service.

For additional questions, you may contact the Legal office at (512) 463-9720 or email at tealegal@tea.texas.gov.

Address Confidentiality Program

This page contains information about the enrollment of a student in a household participating in the Office of Attorney General (OAG) Address Confidentiality Program.

• Address Confidentiality Program, Office of the Attorney General

Authorization Agreement for Non-parent Relative

This page contains information about school enrollment rules when a child is in the care of a non-parent relative.

• Authorization Agreement for Non-parent Relative under Chapter 34, Family Code

Additional Legal Resources

Texas Education Agency and the Office of Legal Services have no control over the content of these sites.  If you find an error on any site, please contact that site’s webmaster.

• Additional Helpful Legal Resources

Student Discipline Matters

The Commissioner of Education generally has no authority over local student discipline matters, except under Texas Education Code §§37.006-(i) and 37.006-(j). Student disciplinary appeals should be filed in the Texas district court in the county in which the school district's administrative offices are located.

Disclaimer

The Texas Education Code is maintained by Texas Legislature Online, which updates the Code when the publisher notifies it of changes. Please review the Texas Legislature online website for the current Code status.