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Welcome to the home page of The State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, the state board that licenses and regulates Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, including Assistants in Speech-Language Pathology, Assistants in Audiology, Interns in Speech-Language Pathology, and Interns in Audiology.
NOTICE TO DIRECTORS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND PUBLIC SCHOOL SLPs WITH TEA CERTIFICATION ONLY
GOOD NEWS!
Due to the collaborative effort of the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA), the Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education (TCASE) and the Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators (TASPA) and those of you working in the public school setting who contacted TEA and SBEC, our voices were heard.
Andrew Allen, Senior Counsel for Educator Certification at TEA has advised TSHA that section (2) of the proposed new TAC 231.623 (c) which reads "Effective September 1, 2013, individuals who hold a Speech and Hearing Therapy or a Speech and Language Therapy certificate must have a master's degree” is being deleted from the proposal.
This is great news for the public school children of Texas and for our membership who work in the public school setting. However, we strongly encourage you to continue to provide public comment by May 3 since the reason for the withdrawal does not clearly indicate this issue is over. To provide public comment, please email TEA directly at sbecrules@tea.state.tx.us and reference New 19 TAC Chapter 231, Subchapter F in your email.
TSHA will continue to monitor this situation and do our best to keep our membership informed of the latest developments. Thanks to the key TSHA executive board and executive council members working hard behind the scenes on your behalf regarding this particular issue: Cherry Wright, Sherry Sancibrian, Judy Rudebusch and Larry Higdon.
Gina Glover, TSHA Vice-President for Professional Services
Below is the actual email we received from TEA:
“Thank you for your comments and those of your members regarding proposed new 231.623(c)(2). Please see the proposed substitute language deleting that provision that TEA staff will recommend when the SBEC considers the proposed new chapter at its May 3, 2013 meeting.
This was actually not proposed as a new policy; it was based on a 1996 TEA letter to all school administrators (attached) that was issued in response to the 1995 legislation that required school speech therapists to hold a professional speech therapy license instead of an educator certificate. It provided that TEA speech therapy certificates would no longer be issued, but grandfathered prior holders of that certificate for a lengthy transition period (until September 1, 2013). At the end of that transition period, the letter provided that speech therapy certificate holders must have obtained a master’s degree for the certificate to continue to be valid.
However, after reviewing the matter, it was determined that this letter did not appear on the TEA website and had not been incorporated into SBEC rules, and that, since it was part of over 100 pages of proposed new rule text, adequate notice to the public and stakeholders was not given. The SBEC is very sensitive to matters of adequate public notice and comment, and staff will propose that SBEC delete proposed 231.623(c)(2.”
Andrew Allen
Senior Counsel for Educator Certification
Texas Education Agency
TSHA State Office
staff@txsha.org
P.O. Box 94390
Lubbock, TX 79493-4390
phone: 855.330.TSHA (8742)
www.txsha.org
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