(Austin, TX) — The number of Texas teachers accused of having inappropriate relationships with students is up for the tenth straight year.

The Texas Education Agency says 429 cases of improper relationships were reported in the fiscal year that ended September 1st.  That’s up 42-percent from the year before, the biggest one-year increase in at least ten years.

The agency’s chief investigator says the increase may be partly due to a new state law that made a longer list of who has to report misconduct.  The law also toughened the penalties for failing to report.