| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 2542 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to excused absences in public schools for students |
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| 6 | 6 | | visiting institutions of higher education. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Section 25.087, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 9 | 9 | | adding Subsection (b-2) to read as follows: |
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| 10 | 10 | | (b-2) A school district may excuse a student from attending |
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| 11 | 11 | | school to visit an institution of higher education accredited by a |
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| 12 | 12 | | generally recognized accrediting organization during the student's |
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| 13 | 13 | | junior and senior years of high school for the purpose of |
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| 14 | 14 | | determining the student's interest in attending the institution of |
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| 15 | 15 | | higher education, provided that: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) the district may not excuse for this purpose more |
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| 17 | 17 | | than two days during the student's junior year and two days during |
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| 18 | 18 | | the student's senior year; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) the district adopts: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (A) a policy to determine when an absence will be |
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| 21 | 21 | | excused for this purpose; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (B) a procedure to verify the student's visit at |
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| 23 | 23 | | the institution of higher education. |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 2. Section 25.087(c), Education Code, as added by |
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| 25 | 25 | | Chapter 479 (H.B. 2455), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular |
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| 26 | 26 | | Session, 2007, is amended to read as follows: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) A student whose absence is excused under Subsection (b) |
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| 28 | 28 | | or (b-2) may not be penalized for that absence and shall be counted |
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| 29 | 29 | | as if the student attended school for purposes of calculating the |
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| 30 | 30 | | average daily attendance of students in the school district. A |
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| 31 | 31 | | student whose absence is excused under Subsection (b) or (b-2) |
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| 32 | 32 | | shall be allowed a reasonable time to make up school work missed on |
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| 33 | 33 | | those days. If the student satisfactorily completes the school |
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| 34 | 34 | | work, the day of absence shall be counted as a day of compulsory |
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| 35 | 35 | | attendance. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2009-2010 |
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| 37 | 37 | | school year. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 39 | 39 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 40 | 40 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 41 | 41 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 42 | 42 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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| 43 | 43 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 44 | 44 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 45 | 45 | | I certify that H.B. No. 2542 was passed by the House on April |
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| 46 | 46 | | 15, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 147, Nays 0, 1 present, not |
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| 47 | 47 | | voting. |
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| 48 | 48 | | ______________________________ |
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| 49 | 49 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 50 | 50 | | I certify that H.B. No. 2542 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 51 | 51 | | 21, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 52 | 52 | | ______________________________ |
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| 53 | 53 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 54 | 54 | | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 55 | 55 | | Date |
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| 56 | 56 | | _____________________ |
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| 57 | 57 | | Governor |
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