| (a) Juvenile Probation Officer. To be eligible for
certification as a juvenile probation officer, an individual must
have acquired a bachelor's degree conferred by a college or university
accredited by an organization recognized by the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board.
(b) Juvenile Supervision Officer and Community Activities
Officer.
(1) Except as provided by subsection (c) of this section,
to be eligible for certification as a juvenile supervision officer
or community activities officer, an individual must meet one of the
following educational requirements:
(A) a diploma from a high school accredited by a generally
recognized accrediting organization or from a high school operated
by the United States Department of Defense. TJJD considers the following
entities as generally recognized accrediting organizations:
(i) the Texas Education Agency or the equivalent agency
in another state;
(ii) an entity approved by the Texas Private School
Accreditation Commission; and
(iii) regional accreditation organizations such as:
(I) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools;
(II) New England Association of Schools and Colleges;
(III) North Central Association of Colleges and Schools;
(IV) Northwest Accreditation Commission;
(V) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; and
(VI) Western Association of Schools and Colleges;
(B) a high school equivalency certificate (e.g., GED)
issued by the Texas Education Agency or equivalent agency in another
state;
(C) a diploma or certificate of completion issued in
a homeschool setting;
(D) a United States military record that indicates
the education level received is equivalent to a United States high
school diploma or high school equivalency certificate;
(E) a foreign high school diploma that meets the validation
requirements established in §344.206 of this chapter; or
(F) unconditional acceptance into a college or university
accredited by an organization recognized by the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board.
(2) A department or facility may attempt to establish
that an entity not listed in paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection is
a generally recognized accrediting organization by submitting supporting
documentation to the TJJD certification office. Based on the documentation,
TJJD will determine whether the entity is a generally recognized accrediting
organization.
(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1)(E) of this subsection,
a department or facility may submit documentation to establish that
a state agency in Texas or licensing entity in Texas has accepted
a foreign high school diploma as sufficient to meet an employment
or licensing requirement to have a high school diploma. TJJD will
determine whether the high school diploma is sufficient to meet the
certification criterion related to having a high school diploma.
(c) Waiver of Education Requirement for Military.
(1) This subsection applies only to a person who is
a military service member or military veteran as those terms are defined
in Chapter 55, Occupations Code who does not have a high school diploma
or equivalent and holds a current license issued by another jurisdiction
for a position that is substantially similar and with licensing requirements
that are substantially similar to TJJD's certification requirements
for a juvenile supervision officer or community activities officer,
as determined by TJJD.
(2) A department or facility that wishes to hire a
person described by paragraph (1) of this subsection in a position
requiring certification as a juvenile supervision officer or community
activities officer may request a waiver of the requirement that the
person have a high school diploma or GED. The request must be submitted
to TJJD's certification office on a form prescribed by TJJD and must
include sufficient information regarding the person's credentials
and experience to allow TJJD to determine if a waiver of the education
requirement should be granted. Incomplete submissions may result in
a denial of the waiver.
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