HB 1090: Teacher Licensing Requirements - Colorado

Rerevised → Final Act · 4 edits · Apr 13, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Colorado's teacher licensing rules to require applicants to disclose specific criminal convictions regardless of when they occurred, while exempting older misdemeanors that did not involve at-risk victims. The changes apply to both teacher licensure and charter school employment, ensuring consistent background check standards across different educational settings.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of required disclosures to include any felony or misdemeanor involving at-risk persons or children under 18, regardless of the conviction date, while narrowing the exemption for other misdemeanors to only those occurring more than seven years ago.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced the previous requirement that applicants disclose all misdemeanors regardless of date with a new rule that exempts misdemeanors occurring more than seven years ago, unless the victim was an at-risk person or a child under 18.

Added a mandatory disclosure requirement for any misdemeanor where the victim was an at-risk person or a child under 18, regardless of when the conviction occurred.

Added a new subsection clarifying that these disclosure requirements do not change the department's existing obligation to evaluate criminal convictions under state law.

Extended similar disclosure and exemption rules to charter school employees, aligning their background check requirements with those for public school teachers.

Revised → Rerevised · 4 edits · Mar 27, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was re-revised to include additional Senate sponsors and updated the document header to reflect that it contains all amendments adopted in the Second House. Substantively, the text of the bill was significantly altered to remove a certification requirement where students had to state they had never been convicted of a felony or specific misdemeanors involving at-risk victims. The changes also eliminated the specific instruction regarding the date of conviction for these offenses, effectively simplifying the certification language.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the specific certification requirements for program students was narrowed by removing detailed conditions about the nature of the offense and the date of conviction.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted the requirement for students to certify they have never been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving an at-risk victim or a child under eighteen.

Removed the specific instruction that the conviction date is irrelevant for the offenses listed in the certification.

TECHNICAL

Added new Senate sponsors (Amabile, Benavidez, Coleman, Exum, Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Kolker, Marchman, Rodriguez, Snyder, Wallace) to the bill's sponsorship list.

Updated the document header to change the status from 'REVISED' to 'REREVISED' and adjusted the amendment adoption description.

Reengrossed → Revised · 1 edit · Mar 26, 2026

MINOR

The bill version changed from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect amendments adopted during the second reading in the Senate. The most significant substantive change is the removal of a provision that would have excluded certain misdemeanors from being grounds for denying or revoking a teacher's license, provided the application was submitted within seven years of the conviction. This removal broadens the scope of the bill by allowing these previously excluded misdemeanors to be considered in licensing decisions.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding teacher licensing eligibility has expanded by removing an exemption for specific misdemeanors.

ELIGIBILITY

Deleted a clause that excluded any misdemeanor (excluding traffic offenses) from being grounds for license denial if the application was submitted within seven years of the conviction.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Mar 11, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to add new co-sponsors and update the legislative summary date to March 11, 2026. The most significant substantive change is the removal of a specific exemption for misdemeanors where the victim was an 'at-risk person' or a child under eighteen, meaning these convictions will now be treated as grounds for license annulment, suspension, or revocation regardless of when the conviction occurred.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding teacher license revocation has narrowed by removing an exception for certain misdemeanors involving minors or at-risk victims, thereby expanding the number of criminal convictions that can lead to license loss.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new list of co-sponsors to the House sponsorship section.

TIMELINE

Updated the legislative summary date from an unspecified previous date to March 11, 2026.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted the exemption allowing teachers to keep their licenses if a misdemeanor conviction involved an at-risk person or a child under eighteen, making such convictions grounds for revocation regardless of the date of conviction.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 10, 2026

MODERATE

This bill amends Colorado teacher licensing laws to clarify how criminal convictions affect an applicant's eligibility. It updates the rules for both initial and professional teacher licenses, as well as educator preparation program students, regarding which past convictions must be disclosed and which can be ignored.

Scope change

The scope of the bill applies to all applicants for initial and professional teacher licenses, as well as students in educator preparation programs seeking background checks.

ELIGIBILITY

The time limit for reporting misdemeanors changed from 'seven years before the application' to 'seven years after the disposition of the conviction,' ensuring a consistent look-back period regardless of when the applicant applies.

The definition of a protected 'child' victim was refined to specifically mean a person 'under eighteen years old,' replacing the broader term 'child' to ensure clarity.

The requirement for applicants to waive the experience or induction program requirement was updated to apply to those with a minimum of two years of full-time teaching experience in a private school.

REQUIREMENT

A new category was added requiring applicants to disclose misdemeanors that are explicitly listed as grounds for license denial, suspension, or revocation under state law.

Teacher Licensing Requirements

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