| 1 | 1 | | By: Lucio S.B. No. 568 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to a notification requirement if a counselor is not |
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| 7 | 7 | | assigned to a public school campus. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Education Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 33.009 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 33.009. PARENTAL NOTIFICATION CONCERNING SCHOOL |
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| 12 | 12 | | COUNSELORS. (a) A public school, including an open-enrollment |
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| 13 | 13 | | charter school, that does not have a full-time school counselor |
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| 14 | 14 | | certified under Subchapter B, Chapter 21, assigned to the campus |
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| 15 | 15 | | for more than 30 consecutive instructional days during the same |
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| 16 | 16 | | school year shall provide written notice of the absence of a |
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| 17 | 17 | | counselor to the parent of or other person standing in parental |
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| 18 | 18 | | relation to each student enrolled in the school. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) The principal of the school shall provide the notice |
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| 20 | 20 | | required by Subsection (a) not later than the 30th instructional |
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| 21 | 21 | | day after the first day the school does not have a full-time school |
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| 22 | 22 | | counselor assigned to the campus. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (c) The school shall: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (1) make a good faith effort to ensure that the notice |
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| 25 | 25 | | required by this section is provided in a bilingual form to any |
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| 26 | 26 | | parent or other person standing in parental relation whose primary |
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| 27 | 27 | | language is not English; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) retain a copy of any notice provided under this |
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| 29 | 29 | | section. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (d) The commissioner may adopt necessary rules regarding |
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| 31 | 31 | | notice to a parent or other person standing in parental relation of |
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| 32 | 32 | | the absence of a school counselor at the campus. |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2009-2010 |
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| 34 | 34 | | school year. |
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| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 36 | 36 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 37 | 37 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 38 | 38 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 39 | 39 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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