| 1 | 1 | | 81R28147 CAE-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Raymond H.B. No. 315 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the instruction of American Sign Language in public |
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| 8 | 8 | | high schools. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Sections 28.002(a) and (e), Education Code, are |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) Each school district that offers kindergarten through |
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| 13 | 13 | | grade 12 shall offer, as a required curriculum: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) a foundation curriculum that includes: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (A) English language arts; |
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| 16 | 16 | | (B) mathematics; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (C) science; and |
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| 18 | 18 | | (D) social studies, consisting of Texas, United |
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| 19 | 19 | | States, and world history, government, and geography; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) an enrichment curriculum that includes: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (A) to the extent possible, subject to Subsection |
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| 22 | 22 | | (e), languages other than English; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (B) health, with emphasis on the importance of |
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| 24 | 24 | | proper nutrition and exercise; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (C) physical education; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (D) fine arts; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (E) economics, with emphasis on the free |
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| 28 | 28 | | enterprise system and its benefits; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (F) career and technology education; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (G) technology applications; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (H) religious literature, including the Hebrew |
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| 32 | 32 | | Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on |
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| 33 | 33 | | history and literature. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (e) American Sign Language is a language for purposes of |
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| 35 | 35 | | Subsection (a)(2)(A). A public high school may offer an elective |
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| 36 | 36 | | course in the language. The elective high school course may be |
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| 37 | 37 | | offered through teleconferencing or another electronic means. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2010-2011 |
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| 39 | 39 | | school year. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 41 | 41 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 42 | 42 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 43 | 43 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 44 | 44 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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