SAN ANTONIO — The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is requesting $17 million to address a significant rise in teacher misconduct investigations. This request follow
The Texas Education Agency is requesting $17 million to address a significant rise in teacher misconduct investigations. SAN ANTONIO — The Texas Education Agency is requesting $17 million to address a significant rise in teacher misconduct investigations. This request follows an increase in complaints about educators, with more than 12,500 cases reported in 2023, a substantial rise from previous years.
On Monday, allegations of inappropriate conduct involving a teacher were reported to the Stockdale Independent School District. The Wilson County Sheriff's Office stated that Peter Leach is facing charges of an improper relationship between an educator and a student, as well as indecency with a child. Leach is currently held at the Wilson County Jail and is no longer employed by the school district.
The TEA's request for additional funding aims to hire more investigators to manage the growing number of complaints. "We’ve asked for a slight increase because of the increased number of complaints, misconduct allegations, and others that we are experiencing," said Mike Morath, Commissioner of Education at the Texas Education Agency.
For context, the number of general complaints in 2019 was 1,265. The agency hopes to address both the volume of misconduct cases and expedite the resolution of these complaints. The rise in complaints has been partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed parents to become more attentive to their children's education.
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