In last week’s newsletter, we shared a T-TESS refresher and a reminder about the ongoing mental health training required for all staff. This week, we want to follow up with a broader reminder of the training mandates Texas school districts are responsible for delivering.

We know firsthand how much is being asked of you. Meeting every state training requirement — on top of everything else campuses and district offices carry — is genuinely difficult, and we don’t take that lightly. Our goal isn’t to add pressure, but to make the lift more manageable.

One approach that consistently helps is thoughtfully planning and spacing these trainings across the school year, whether they’re delivered at the district or campus level. To support you in doing that, both listings below include links to trainings embedded directly in our website, along with protocols and documents you can use to guide and streamline your staff development.

We’re here to make this easier wherever we can.

Click here for Trainings by Roles and Trainings by Topic

What the law requires

SB 12 added Texas Education Code §11.005, which prohibits districts from assigning DEI duties to any person and requires districts to prohibit employees, contractors, and volunteers from engaging in DEI duties on behalf of the district, except where required by state or federal law.

Notification obligations to vendors and contractors

Districts must:

  1. Provide written notice — a physical and electronic copy of the district’s DEI-related policies and procedures — to all employees and contractors, as required under TEC §§11.005, 28.0022, and 39.008.

  2. Inform vendors of disciplinary consequences, including contract termination, for any contractor who intentionally or knowingly engages in or assigns DEI duties.

  3. Adopt board policy codifying these prohibitions and the corresponding discipline procedures (typically referenced in Board Policies DH, DCD, DF, DFAA, DFAB, DFBA, DFBB, DGBA, GF, and the new BT LEGAL series).

  4. Certify compliance to TEA annually — the initial deadline was September 30, 2025.

What this means for contracted services

  • Professional development, curriculum, counseling, coaching, and consulting contracts must be reviewed to ensure the scope of work does not include prohibited DEI content or training.

  • Vendor agreements should include an SB 12 compliance clause or acknowledgment page confirming the vendor has received the district’s policy and will not engage in DEI duties while performing services.

  • DEI statements may not be required or requested of vendors, contractors, or their personnel as a condition of doing business with the district.

  • The prohibition applies regardless of whether the vendor’s activity occurs on-campus, off-campus, virtually, or through subcontracted personnel.

A related but separate vendor law to keep in mind

House Bill 210, also effective September 1, 2025, prohibits vendor contracts where a board member (or a relative within the second degree) has a substantial interest in the vendor or has received a gift from the vendor. This isn’t a DEI provision, but it commonly appears in the same vendor-notification packet districts are sending this year.

 
Click here for a Letter to Vendors with a SB acknowledgment/signature page.
TxSP August 3, 2026 0 0

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