The number of teachers flagged statewide for having sex and other inappropriate relationships with students continues to rise, according to the Texas Education Agency.

The increase follows a state law that took effect at the beginning of last school year that expanded reporting requirements and made superintendents and principals who failed to report such conduct subject to criminal charges.

During fiscal 2017-18, the TEA opened 429 cases into inappropriate student-educator relationships -- an approximate 42 percent increase from the prior year, said Doug Phillips, director of educator investigations at TEA, during a Senate Education Committee meeting this week.

"I think we're just getting a lot more of these reports that maybe would not have been reported in the past," he said.

Lawmakers also credited the increase to the #MeToo movement and "what's going on in America today."

"I actually consider this to be a positive development," said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who authored Senate Bill 7. "What gets measured gets fixed. And we're now finding the extent of the problem."

An empty classroom at Reedy High School in Frisco in August 2015. (Brandon Wade / Special Contributor)

The new law was propelled by the issue of some teachers with a history of improper relationships with students resigning in order to avoid potential legal battles, rather than being fired by school districts. In some cases, those teachers were rehired by other districts, a cycle that educators and lawmakers often refer to as "passing the trash."

Under the law, teachers can be charged with an improper relationship with a student regardless of whether or not the student is in their district.

The law also expanded reporting requirements to include principals and superintendents. It could land school administrators a state jail felony sentence if they're found to have intentionally tried to hide the misconduct or a fine of up to $10,000 if they failed to report teacher misconduct. Previously, superintendents could be sanctioned by the State Board of Educator Certification if they didn't report teacher misconduct, but such failures weren't considered a crime.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, right, gives a thumbs up sign as Gov. Greg Abbott, center, holds up SB 7, a bill to address inappropriate teacher-student relationships, after he signed it during a ceremony at the Texas Capitol in Austin on May 25, 2017. (Eric Gay / AP)

Phillips told legislators Tuesday that the state is in the process of handing down its first penalty for an administrator who failed to report suspected teacher misconduct. The agency has hired two additional investigators, bringing the total to nine, to look into such cases.

In North Texas, police in April arrested a Dallas ISD high school teacher who was accused of having an improper relationship with a student in another district.

And in June, a former counselor at a Bedford junior high school was arrested after police said she had been in a sexual relationship with a ninth-grade student.

Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said the law was the "right thing to do." Because of these new rules, the district typically reports any hint of inappropriate behavior out of an abundance of caution to prevent an administrative penalty. That's probably why the state has seen a rise in the number of cases, he said.

"If we're in doubt, we report it," he said.

Bettencourt plans to file legislation during next year's session to further address the issue of improper teacher-student relationships and potentially close loopholes. That could include a "do not hire" registry encompassing all teachers -- not just certified ones -- who had inappropriate relationships with students. The list would be available to private schools so they can have a more complete picture of an applicant's past.

"Like all legislation, you do your best. You see what's happening. And then you come back and tune it up," Bettencourt said.

Laura Colangelo, executive director of the Texas Private Schools Association, told lawmakers Tuesday that private school administrators need better access to investigations into teacher conduct. Unless prior issues show up on criminal background checks, she said, private schools typically aren't aware of them.

"We would like common-sense solutions to make sure that private schools receive access to the kind of information about investigations and applicants that public schools have to ensure that private schools do not become a safe haven for predators," Colangelo said.

Bettencourt also has proposed expanding reporting requirements to all school employees, including custodial and cafeteria staff.

"I've never seen people more riled up about this," Bettencourt said. "It's in every school district -- everywhere from the Red River to the Rio Grande."