Sec. 22.084. ACCESS TO CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORDS OF SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS, BUS MONITORS, AND BUS AIDES. (a) Except as provided by Subsections (c) and (d), a school district, open-enrollment charter school, private school, regional education service center, or shared services arrangement that contracts with a person for transportation services shall obtain from any law enforcement or criminal justice agency all criminal history record information that relates to:

(1) a person employed by the person as a bus driver; or

(2) a person the person intends to employ as a bus driver.

(b) Except as provided by Subsections (c) and (d), a person that contracts with a school district, open-enrollment charter school, private school, regional education service center, or shared services arrangement to provide transportation services shall submit to the district, school, service center, or shared services arrangement the name and other identification data required to obtain criminal history record information of each person described by Subsection (a). If the district, school, service center, or shared services arrangement obtains information that a person described by Subsection (a) has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, the district, school, service center, or shared services arrangement shall inform the chief personnel officer of the person with whom the district, school, service center, or shared services arrangement has contracted, and the person may not employ that person to drive a bus on which students are transported without the permission of the board of trustees of the district or service center, the governing body of the open-enrollment charter school, or the chief executive officer of the private school or shared services arrangement.

(c) A commercial transportation company that contracts with a school district, open-enrollment charter school, private school, regional education service center, or shared services arrangement to provide transportation services may obtain from any law enforcement or criminal justice agency all criminal history record information that relates to:

(1) a person employed by the commercial transportation company as a bus driver, bus monitor, or bus aide; or

(2) a person the commercial transportation company intends to employ as a bus driver, bus monitor, or bus aide.

(d) If the commercial transportation company obtains information that a person employed or to be employed by the company has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, the company may not employ that person to drive or to serve as a bus monitor or bus aide on a bus on which students are transported without the permission of the board of trustees of the district or service center, the governing body of the open-enrollment charter school, or the chief executive officer of the private school or shared services arrangement. Subsections (a) and (b) do not apply if information is obtained as provided by Subsection (c).

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1438, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.