Texas school staff required training: one LMS for every mandate

Texas school staff required training includes TEC 38.0041 abuse and trafficking training at hire, suicide prevention, trauma-informed care, annual items such as bloodborne pathogens and test administration, HB 3 mental health training (50 percent of applicable district staff before 2026-27) and educator CPE. LMS Advisor is our top pick to run it in one system: mandatory assignments with due dates, expiring certificates, QR attendance and exports for Sentinel.

This page is for HR directors, safety coordinators, PD and CPE coordinators and compliance officers at Texas districts and open-enrollment charter schools. It covers the mandates, the records TEA expects, platform options and a 2026-27 setup plan. We have built, fixed and migrated LMS platforms for years, and the Texas problem is rarely missing courses. It is evidence scattered across several systems. Treat the rules below as a planning aid, not legal advice, and confirm details with district counsel. For how we approach schools and colleges more broadly, see our LMS for education overview.

Which trainings do Texas school employees have to complete?

The most useful single reference is the TASB School District Training Chart, which separates trainings required by law from those recommended for risk management. The table pulls out the mandates that create most of the tracking work.

Training	Who	When	Source
Sexual abuse, sex trafficking and other maltreatment	All new district and open-enrollment charter employees	New employee orientation, with participant records	TEC 38.0041
Suicide prevention	Teachers, counselors, principals and other appropriate staff	TASB lists it as annual, in new employee orientation	TEC 21.451, 38.351
Trauma-informed care	New educators, existing educators per local policy	New employee training	TEC 38.036
Mental health training (HB 3)	District employees who regularly interact with students	Once per employee, phased in through 2028-29	TEC 22.904, 19 TAC 153.1015
Bloodborne pathogens	Employees providing health care-related services or otherwise at risk of exposure	Pre-service, then an annual refresher	Health and Safety Code 81.301 to 81.307
Test administration	Test coordinators and test administrators	Annually, with test security records kept five years	TEC 39.304, 19 TAC 101.3031
Gifted and talented	G/T teachers	30 hours before assignment, then 6 hours annually	19 TAC 89.2
Epinephrine auto-injectors	Personnel or volunteers authorized to administer	Annual, with a hands-on demonstration	TEC 38.201 to 38.215
Concussion	Coaches and concussion oversight team members	At least every two years (team members also before appointment)	TEC 38.154, 38.158
CPR and AED	Nurses, athletic coaches or sponsors, PE teachers, marching band directors, cheerleading coaches	Keep certification current	TEC 22.902
Bleeding control	SROs, security staff and staff expected to use bleeding control stations	In person only	TEC 38.030
Seizure recognition and first aid	School nurses and employees with regular student contact	TEA-approved online course available	TEC 38.033
Restraint and time-out	Campus core team (principal or designee and general or special education staff) and staff using time-out	Within 30 school days after restraint by untrained staff	TEC 37.0021, 19 TAC 89.1053
Title IX	Coordinator, investigators, decision-makers and informal resolution facilitators	Required for the role, training materials kept seven years	34 CFR 106.30, 106.45(b)
Cybersecurity and AI awareness	District cybersecurity coordinator (others at district discretion)	Annual, certified to DIR by August 31	Texas DIR

How the clocks differ

Group the chart by timing first. At hire: the TEC 38.0041 training, suicide prevention and trauma-informed care belong in one orientation path. Every year: bloodborne pathogens for exposed staff, test administration, epinephrine and the 6 G/T hours. On a cycle: concussion runs at least every two years, and CPR follows the card. Role-specific: the cybersecurity coordinator, the Title IX team, the restraint core team and bleeding control responders. Each group needs its own certificate validity and report, which is why one "annual compliance" spreadsheet breaks by October.

Did Texas cut the annual training load in 2025?

No. HB 2107 in the 89th Legislature would have let boards and charter governing bodies move certain statutorily mandated annual trainings to every other year, and its House committee analysis put educators at "an estimated 35 to 40 hours a year in required trainings." The bill did not become law: LegiScan records its last action as a committee report sent to Calendars on April 30, 2025, and Texas AFT's session review lists it with the training bills that failed. Plan 2026-27 on the existing annual cycles.

Where should your district be on HB 3 mental health training in 2026-27?

At 50 percent already, and working toward 75 percent before 2027-28 starts. Under TEC 22.904, district employees who regularly interact with students complete an evidence-based mental health training program, and TEA's July 2025 mental health training FAQ sets the ramp: at least 25 percent of applicable employees for 2025-26, 50 percent for 2026-27, 75 percent for 2027-28 and 100 percent for 2028-29. "Training must occur before the start of each listed school year," and staff take it only once.

Who counts as regularly interacting with students?

More people than most PD calendars reach. The FAQ names teachers, coaches, librarians, counselors, nurses, administrators, paraprofessionals and substitutes, plus school resource officers, bus drivers, crossing guards, custodians, cafeteria staff and special programs liaisons. The FAQ counts applicable staff employed as of September 1, so your denominator is a roster snapshot.

Does self-paced online training count?

Be careful. The FAQ lists face-to-face, synchronous online, hybrid and blended formats, not asynchronous self-paced courses. It names Youth Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health First Aid as meeting the requirement and allows a locally selected course that meets the rule's competencies. So the LMS job for HB 3 is scheduling live sessions, taking attendance and holding the evidence, not hosting a click-through module.

What do you keep and upload to Sentinel?

The FAQ lists three records per employee or program: the certificate of completion, the signed acknowledgment of local procedures and practices, and documentation that the chosen course meets the required competencies. According to TEA's September 2025 requirement information, training records (a list of dates and names of trained employees, or a certificate for each employee, plus the name or content of the course) are uploaded to Sentinel and tagged to the District Vulnerability Assessment required documents as "Staff Mental Health Training Records (3.10)."

Do charters have to do it?

The FAQ says the rule applies to school district staff, not charter staff, and TEA's information sheet states there is "no statutory authority to compel Charters per TEC 12.104," recommending the training as best practice. For a charter it is a board decision, and the records workflow is the same.

What records does TEA expect Texas districts to keep?

• TEC 38.0041 participant lists. Section 38.0041(d) requires records that include the staff members who participated in the sexual abuse and maltreatment training. TEA's December 2020 human trafficking training reminder restates the 48-hour reporting duty under Family Code 261.101 and says LEAs "have discretion on selecting what training(s) are used."
• HB 3 certificates, acknowledgments and program documentation, with the training records uploaded to Sentinel.
• CPE provider records, covered in the next section.
• Test security records for at least five years, and Title IX training materials for seven.

Our rule of thumb: every required item should produce a dated, per-person record you can export by campus without retyping. Our guide to training records retention covers retention periods in more depth.

How should CPE hours be split between the district and the teacher?

A standard certificate renews every five years with 150 CPE hours for classroom teachers and 200 for principals, superintendents, counselors, librarians, educational diagnosticians and reading specialists, per TEA's certificate renewal and CPE page. All educators need CPE on educating students with disabilities, including dyslexia, and superintendents need at least 2.5 hours on identifying, preventing and reporting child abuse, human trafficking and other maltreatment.

Texas districts and open-enrollment charter schools are pre-approved CPE providers when the staff development complies with TEC 21.451. As the provider, the district keeps content, clock hours, attendance logs or certificates, and dates and locations. The educator keeps their own documentation for five years and hands it to TEA only if audited. So the district's job is to issue a clean certificate for every session it runs. Totaling each teacher's hours toward 150 or 200 is the teacher's portfolio, or a job for a dedicated CPE credit tool. Section 38.0041(f) also lets the abuse and maltreatment training count toward staff development, which is worth stating on the certificate.

For deeper PD program design, see our page on choosing an LMS for teacher professional development.

Who needs cybersecurity and AI training after the 2025 session?

For school districts, Texas DIR says "only the district's cybersecurity coordinator is required to complete annual cybersecurity training," and its AI awareness training page applies the same coordinator-only rule to annual AI training. Completion is certified to DIR by August 31. Any other employee required to train does so "as determined by the district," and districts can assign it more widely, since phishing reaches every inbox. Medina Valley ISD's 2026-27 required training page, for example, notes that "on August 6th additional training for Artificial Intelligence was added to employee training." See our security awareness training requirements post for the wider rules.

What training hours do charter board members and officers owe?

TEA's charter governance page (19 TAC 100.1115 to 100.1121) sets first-year totals of 12 hours for board members, 30 for chief executives, central administrative officers and business managers, and 10 for campus administrative officers. After the first year the annual hours drop to 6, 15 and 5, due each year on the anniversary of the first day of service or employment. Initial training is due within one calendar year of starting, and TEA says half "should be completed within the first six months." The 2026 TEAL governance submission window runs October 5 to December 4, 2026. Whoever delivers the training, keep each official's certificates in one place, exportable before the window opens.

How do you reach bus drivers, custodians and food service staff?

HB 3 made this urgent: these staff count toward your percentage, and many have no district laptop or regular email habit. Three things work:

• Phone sign-in. Staff sign in with a one-time code sent by SMS or WhatsApp, on the phone they already carry.
• Translated courses. Offer Spanish versions of your own local-procedure lessons and acknowledgments.
• In-person sessions with QR check-in. Run a live session at the transportation yard or the central kitchen, and staff scan in on arrival. That fits HB 3's approved formats and the in-person rule for bleeding control.

What should a Texas district look for in a training platform?

1. Mandatory assignments with due dates by campus and department, and an overdue report a principal will read.
2. Certificates with validity periods so 12-month, 24-month and one-time items expire on their own schedules.
3. Attendance for in-person and live training, since bleeding control is in person only and HB 3 lists live or blended formats.
4. Exports by person and date in CSV, Excel or PDF for Sentinel, DIR certification and TEC 38.0041 records.
5. Room for outside content: SCORM uploads, links to TEA Learn and a way to collect external certificates.
6. Accounts and structure for everyone: SSO and provisioning, phone sign-in, multi-campus structure, and self-hosting if staff data must stay on district servers.

Which platforms do Texas districts use for required training?

Vendor facts come from vendor or Texas district pages, as of September 2026.

Option	Texas course content	Assign by campus and role	HB 3 records export	CPE certificates	In-person attendance	Hosting
LMS Advisor (our platform, top pick)	Your own or purchased content, SCORM uploads, links to TEA Learn (no built-in Texas library)	Yes: branches, organizations and groups, mandatory assignments with due dates	CSV, Excel or PDF completion exports	Certificates on completion with public verification, and CPD hours on the transcript	QR or manual check-in, Zoom and Google Meet sessions	Our cloud or self-hosted
Vector Solutions (SafeSchools)	600+ K-12 staff courses, used by Texas ISDs for required lists	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated
Eduphoria (Strive, Workshop)	District-built eCourses in Strive	Not stated	Not stated	Strive tracks credits, and Waco ISD generates training certificates in Workshop	Not stated	Not stated
TEA Learn (Texas Gateway)	TEA courses, including child abuse prevention modules	Not stated	Not stated	CPE courses moving from Texas Courses	Not stated	TEA platform
Raptor PublicSchoolWORKS	750 courses, updated for legislative changes	Captures new hires and staff changes from the school database and assigns role-specific training	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated

1. LMS Advisor: best overall for Texas districts that want one record

LMS Advisor is our platform, so weigh that. We rank it first because the hard part in Texas is not content but assignments, attendance and proof across very different mandates, and that is what it runs. You bring or buy the courses. It suits ISDs and charters that already use TEA Learn, a YMHFA provider or a content vendor and want the records in their own system.

2. Vector Solutions: best for a ready-made K-12 course catalog

Vector advertises 600+ expert K-12 staff training courses, and several Texas districts assign their lists there. Medina Valley ISD assigns its 2026-27 required compliance list through Vector with a September 30, 2026 due date, and Plano ISD lists SafeSchools (now Vector Solutions) among staff resources. Choose it if content volume is the gap.

3. Eduphoria: best for Texas CPE credit workflows

An Eduphoria article (August 2022) describes Strive eCourses that let administrators "list the requirements for course completion and track their credits," and Waco ISD's CPE page says certificates for its trainings can be generated in the eduphoria Workshop application. If per-teacher credit tracking is your main need, it is the stronger fit.

4. TEA Learn: best for state-produced courses

TEA Learn is TEA's professional development hub, CPE courses from Texas Courses are moving to it, and TEA launched child abuse prevention awareness modules there on September 1, 2025. It is a content source rather than a district records system, so pair it with one.

5. Raptor PublicSchoolWORKS: best for library plus HR sync

Raptor claims 750 expert-designed courses, including mandated reporting and bloodborne pathogens, and captures new hires from the school's database. Choose it if you want a library tied to HR changes.

How to run Texas required training in LMS Advisor

1. Model the district. Each campus becomes a branch, departments such as Transportation, Child Nutrition and Athletics become organizations, and groups hold roles like coaches, test administrators or the Title IX team. The same branch and organization structure fits a charter network with several campuses.
2. Load people. SAML SSO and SCIM provisioning from your identity provider, or phone sign-in by SMS or WhatsApp code for staff without district email.
3. Build the orientation path. TEC 38.0041, suicide prevention and trauma-informed care as courses using your chosen programs: SCORM packages where the provider allows it, or a lesson that links out and an assignment lesson where staff upload the completion certificate.
4. Run HB 3 as live training. Schedule Zoom or Google Meet sessions or in-person sessions with QR check-in, add a lesson with your local procedures, and collect the signed acknowledgment and the program certificate in an assignment lesson.
5. Assign and date it. Mark courses mandatory with a due date before the first day of school, and use the overdue report by branch through August.
6. Set validity. Course certificates with 12 months for annual items and 24 for concussion, with an expiring-soon status 30 days out and a certificate-expiring email. One-time orientation items get no expiry.
7. Export evidence. Completion reports in CSV, Excel or PDF for the Sentinel log, DIR certification and TEC 38.0041 participant lists, backed by course certificates and audit logs.

If you want to see this with your own chart, book a demo for your district and bring your TASB list.

A 2026-27 setup plan for a Texas district

• First 30 days: mark each TASB chart item with who, when and statute, tag every employee (substitutes and bus drivers included) with campus and role, and pick your HB 3 program.
• Days 31 to 60: build the orientation path and the HB 3 session calendar, set certificate validity per item, and decide whether cybersecurity and AI training go to the coordinator only or to all staff.
• Days 61 to 90: assign mandatory courses with due dates, run QR check-in sessions, and test the Sentinel export against your September 1 roster.
• Before August 31: certify cybersecurity and AI completion to DIR. For charter holders, gather governance certificates before the TEAL window opens October 5.

For a vendor-level look at K-12 compliance platforms, see our school staff compliance training software guide and compliance training solution.

What LMS Advisor does not do for Texas districts

• No Texas course library. Use TEA-approved or locally selected programs, TEA Learn or a content vendor, and upload SCORM where licensing allows.
• No reporting to TEA, Sentinel or DIR. It produces the records and exports that your staff upload or certify.
• No official CPE ledger. It issues certificates and totals CPD hours against a yearly target, but teachers still keep their own portfolio.
• Deadline reminders start switched off. Turn on the deadline rules, and use overdue reports and the never-started and stuck-mid-course emails.
• No compliance verdict. Your district decides whether a program meets the required competencies. The platform holds the proof.

Frequently asked questions

What trainings are required for Texas school employees each year?

Annual items include bloodborne pathogens refreshers for staff at risk of exposure, test administration training, epinephrine training for authorized staff and 6 G/T hours for G/T teachers. Other items run on different clocks, such as TEC 38.0041 training at hire and concussion training every two years. Start from the TASB training chart.

Who has to take the HB 3 mental health training and by when?

Every district employee who regularly interacts with students, including substitutes, bus drivers, custodians and cafeteria staff. Districts needed 50 percent trained before 2026-27 started and must reach 75 percent before 2027-28 and 100 percent before 2028-29, and each person takes it once.

Do Texas charter schools have to do the HB 3 mental health training?

No, TEA says it cannot compel open-enrollment charters under TEC 12.104. It recommends the training as best practice, and charters still owe TEC 38.0041 training and governance hours.

How many CPE hours do Texas teachers need and who tracks them?

Classroom teachers need 150 hours per five-year renewal, and principals, counselors and several other roles need 200. The district keeps provider records, and the educator keeps their own documentation for five years.

Do all Texas school employees need cybersecurity training?

No. DIR requires only the district's cybersecurity coordinator to complete annual cybersecurity and AI training, certified by August 31. Districts may require it for other staff.

Can online training count for bleeding control training in Texas?

No. The TASB chart notes that TEA "may not approve training that is provided as an online course" for bleeding control. Run it in person and record attendance.

What is the best LMS for Texas school staff required training?

LMS Advisor is our top pick for districts and charters that want one record across every mandate. It assigns mandatory courses with due dates, expires certificates on the right cycle, takes QR attendance and exports completions for Sentinel, in our cloud or on your own server. Pair it with TEA Learn, a program provider or a content vendor for ready-made courses.

Bring your TASB chart to a demo and we will set up your 2026-27 assignments, HB 3 export and orientation path, in our cloud or on district servers.