State Waivers Unit

The State Waivers Unit of the Texas Education Agency is responsible for the coordination of expedited and general state waivers and class size exceptions. See Texas Education Code (TEC) §7.056, Waivers & Exemptions, for rules. For information on Waivers related to COVID-19, please visit the "Waivers, Finance and Grants" section on the TEA's COVID-19 Support and Guidance webpage.

2023-2024 Applications will be available in TEAL on the following dates:

General & Expedited  July 5, 2023
Attendance  (Missed School Day, Low Attendance)    August 1, 2023
Class Size August 25, 2023

Note: Once a new waiver year opens, the prior school year waiver application will no longer be available.

Waiver Application

The 23-24 Waivers Guidebook and Waiver Process FAQ's may be of assistance while navigating through the State Waivers and the TEAL application process.

Waiver Categories

Most waiver types are placed into one of four categories:

  • Expedited Waivers  are waivers that require basic information from the district.
  • General Waivers are waivers that require detailed information surrounding the district's waiver request.
  • Attendance Waivers include Missed Instructional Days and Low Attendance Days waivers. The district or campus can request a waiver for excused absences if instructional days are missed or if attendance is low due to weather, health, or safety issues. 
  • Maximum Class Size Exception is required under the provision of TEC §25.112 if any class for grades PK-4 exceeds the allowable class size limit of 22 students per class (22:1). An exemption expires at the end of the school year for which it is granted.
  • Other Waivers are specific requests that do not fall under any of the above categories.

Waiver Types

This table shows the different waiver types and links to their description:

Expedited General Attendance
Staff Development Waiver Course Requirement Waiver Missed School Days
Modified Schedule State Assessment Testing Days Waiver Certification Teacher Waiver Low Attendance Days
Foreign Exchange Student Waiver (Request 5 or more) Course Requirement Career and Technical Education (CTE) Waiver Additional Days School Year (ADSY) Waiver
Teacher Data Portal of the Texas Assessment Management System Certification for Superintendent Waiver  
  Pregnancy Related Services On-Campus (CEH) Waiver  
  Foreign Exchange Student (Less than 5) Waiver  
  Other Specific Waivers  

Related Links