The Texas Education Agency, Austin, Texas, has certified Mr. Thomas as an independent hearing examiner since January 1997.
           The criteria for the certification of independent hearing examiners is established by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Office of Administrative Hearings. An independent hearing examiner conducts evidentiary hearings for boards of education of respective school districts.

           The hearing examiner is appointed in compliance with Section 21.251 of the Texas Education Code after a teacher requests an appeal hearing regarding a proposed decision by a local school board to terminate the teacher’s term or continuing contract, a decision not to renew a teacher’s term contract or to suspend the teacher without pay. The independent hearing examiner publishes Findings of Fact and Conclusion of Law based on the evidence received in compliance with the Texas Rules of Civil Evidence and admitted in the administrative hearing.
            Mr. Thomas has been appointed in the past ten years to conduct evidentiary hearings in
several school districts in the greater Houston area, including but not limited to, the Houston Independent School District, the Fort Bend Independent School District, the Friendswood Independent School District, the Klein Independent School District, the Conroe Independent School District, the Lumberton Independent School District, the Alief Independent School District, the Cold Spring-Oakhurst Consolidated Independent School District,  the Bay City Independent School District, the Aldine Independent School District, and the North Forest Independent School District.