Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB626 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Allen H.B. No. 626
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to educational agreements setting forth the respective
7	7	responsibilities of students, parents, and school personnel in
8	8	public schools.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Chapter 26, Education Code, is amended by adding
11	11	Sections 26.014 and 26.015 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 26.014. EDUCATIONAL INVOLVEMENT AGREEMENTS. (a) The
13	13	agency shall adopt educational involvement agreement forms for
14	14	optional use by school districts. The agreement forms must state
15	15	the respective responsibilities of the student, parent, teacher,
16	16	and principal.
17	17	(b) A school district that elects to use the educational
18	18	involvement agreements may encourage students, students' parents,
19	19	teachers, and principals to sign an educational involvement
20	20	agreement.
21	21	(c) An educational involvement agreement must include:
22	22	(1) for an agreement signed by a parent, the parent's
23	23	responsibilities regarding the student's education, which may
24	24	include:
25	25	(A) reading to the student, if appropriate for
26	26	the student's grade or reading level;
27	27	(B) reviewing and checking the student's
28	28	homework; and
29	29	(C) contributing at least five hours of the
30	30	parent's time to the school each school year by:
31	31	(i) attending school-related activities;
32	32	(ii) attending parent-teacher association
33	33	meetings;
34	34	(iii) attending parent-teacher
35	35	conferences;
36	36	(iv) volunteering at the school; or
37	37	(v) chaperoning school-sponsored events;
38	38	(2) for an agreement signed by a student, the
39	39	responsibility of the student to:
40	40	(A) read each day before or after school, if
41	41	appropriate for the student's grade or reading level;
42	42	(B) use school equipment and property in a safe,
43	43	appropriate manner;
44	44	(C) follow the instructions of school staff;
45	45	(D) complete and submit homework in a timely
46	46	manner; and
47	47	(E) act in a respectful manner; and
48	48	(3) for an agreement signed by a teacher or principal,
49	49	the responsibility of the teacher or principal to:
50	50	(A) provide each student with proper
51	51	instruction, supervision, and interaction;
52	52	(B) maximize the educational and social
53	53	experience of each student;
54	54	(C) perform professional responsibilities in a
55	55	manner that is in the best interest of each student;
56	56	(D) provide the parents of each student with
57	57	timely progress reports; and
58	58	(E) be available to parents to discuss concerns.
59	59	(d) A school district may revise educational involvement
60	60	agreement forms adopted by the agency to include information in
61	61	addition to the information required under this section.
62	62	(e) The educational involvement agreement provided to a
63	63	student's parent may be accompanied by:
64	64	(1) information regarding:
65	65	(A) the manner in which a parent may contact the
66	66	student's teachers or principal, including a system to allow
67	67	parents and teachers to communicate in a regular, two-way, and
68	68	meaningful manner with each of the child's teachers and the school
69	69	principal;
70	70	(B) homework and grading policies;
71	71	(C) directions for locating resource material;
72	72	(D) methods for assisting the student with
73	73	schoolwork at home;
74	74	(E) details on how reports of the student's
75	75	progress will be sent to the parent and how a parent may request a
76	76	progress report;
77	77	(F) school rules and policies;
78	78	(G) dress codes;
79	79	(H) the availability of assistance to a parent of
80	80	limited English proficiency;
81	81	(I) information on free and reduced-price meals;
82	82	(J) opportunities for parents to become involved
83	83	in the student's education or volunteer at the school, including
84	84	one-time opportunities and opportunities to volunteer from home;
85	85	(K) how to be involved in the decisions affecting
86	86	course selection, career planning, and preparation for
87	87	postsecondary opportunities;
88	88	(L) instructional programs available at the
89	89	school campus;
90	90	(M) extracurricular programs available at the
91	91	school campus; and
92	92	(N) activities planned through the school year to
93	93	encourage parental involvement, including regularly scheduled open
94	94	houses; and
95	95	(2) surveys to determine parent concerns about the
96	96	school campus and to solicit parents' ideas for improving the
97	97	school campus, including ways to foster a relationship between the
98	98	parents, school, and local community.
99	99	(f) A school district may not punish a student, parent,
100	100	teacher, or principal who does not sign an educational involvement
101	101	agreement used by a district as provided by this section.
102	102	(g) The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to
103	103	implement this section.
104	104	Sec. 26.015. AGREEMENT REGARDING RESPONSIBILITIES OF
105	105	PARENT, STUDENT, AND CLASSROOM TEACHER. (a) This section applies
106	106	only to a school district that:
107	107	(1) has a student enrollment of not more than 35,000;
108	108	(2) is located in a county that has a population of at
109	109	least 3.4 million; and
110	110	(3) borders one or more school districts, each of
111	111	which has a student enrollment of at least 40,000.
112	112	(b) A school district to which this section applies shall
113	113	adopt a written agreement form for each grade level that specifies
114	114	the responsibilities of a student's parent or guardian as well as
115	115	the respective responsibilities of the student and each of the
116	116	student's classroom teachers. The parent or guardian, the student,
117	117	and a school district designee shall sign the appropriate agreement
118	118	at the beginning of each school year.
119	119	(c) A student in prekindergarten, kindergarten, grade one,
120	120	grade two, or grade three is not required to sign the agreement
121	121	described by this section. A school district may exempt other
122	122	students from the requirement to sign the agreement described by
123	123	this section.
124	124	(d) A school district to which this section applies shall
125	125	determine the manner in which the agreement will be enforced.
126	126	(e) Not later than September 1, 2011, a school district to
127	127	which this section applies shall prepare and deliver to the
128	128	lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
129	129	and the presiding officer of each legislative standing committee
130	130	with primary jurisdiction over primary and secondary education a
131	131	report regarding the successes and opportunities created by the use
132	132	of the written agreement.
133	133	(f) To the extent this section conflicts with Section
134	134	26.014, this section prevails.
135	135	(g) This section expires June 1, 2013.
136	136	SECTION 2. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
137	137	date of this Act, the Texas Education Agency shall adopt
138	138	educational involvement agreement forms for optional use by school
139	139	districts as required by Section 26.014, Education Code, as added
140	140	by this Act.
141	141	(b) Each school district may use educational involvement
142	142	agreement forms in the manner required by Section 26.014, Education
143	143	Code, as added by this Act, beginning with the 2010-2011 school
144	144	year.
145	145	SECTION 3. Section 26.015, Education Code, as added by this
146	146	Act, applies beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.
147	147	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
148	148	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
149	149	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
150	150	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
151	151	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.