| 1 | 1 | | By: Gallegos S.B. No. 346 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (Hochberg) |
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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 curriculum that must be provided by a disciplinary |
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| 8 | 8 | | alternative education program. |
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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. Subsections (a) and (l), Section 37.008, |
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| 11 | 11 | | Education Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) Each school district shall provide a disciplinary |
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| 13 | 13 | | alternative education program that: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) is provided in a setting other than a student's |
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| 15 | 15 | | regular classroom; |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) is located on or off of a regular school campus; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (3) provides for the students who are assigned to the |
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| 18 | 18 | | disciplinary alternative education program to be separated from |
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| 19 | 19 | | students who are not assigned to the program; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (4) focuses on English language arts, mathematics, |
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| 21 | 21 | | science, history, and self-discipline; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (5) provides for students' educational and behavioral |
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| 23 | 23 | | needs; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (6) provides supervision and counseling; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (7) employs only teachers who meet all certification |
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| 26 | 26 | | requirements established under Subchapter B, Chapter 21; [and] |
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| 27 | 27 | | (8) provides not less than the minimum amount of |
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| 28 | 28 | | instructional time per day required by Section 25.082(a); and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (9) provides for students who are assigned to the |
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| 30 | 30 | | disciplinary alternative education program for one semester or |
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| 31 | 31 | | more: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (A) structured courses in English language arts, |
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| 33 | 33 | | mathematics, science, history, and self-discipline that are |
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| 34 | 34 | | equivalent in content and rigor to courses in those subjects as |
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| 35 | 35 | | provided in the regular classroom setting; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (B) an established curriculum for each grade |
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| 37 | 37 | | level that provides students an opportunity to achieve promotion to |
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| 38 | 38 | | the next grade level or to graduate from high school on the same |
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| 39 | 39 | | schedule as students in the regular classroom setting. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (l) A school district is required to provide in the |
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| 41 | 41 | | district's disciplinary alternative education program a course |
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| 42 | 42 | | necessary to fulfill a student's high school graduation |
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| 43 | 43 | | requirements [only as provided by this subsection]. A school |
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| 44 | 44 | | district shall offer a student removed to a disciplinary |
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| 45 | 45 | | alternative education program an opportunity to complete |
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| 46 | 46 | | coursework before the beginning of the next school year. The school |
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| 47 | 47 | | district may provide the student an opportunity to complete |
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| 48 | 48 | | coursework through any method available, including a |
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| 49 | 49 | | correspondence course, distance learning, or summer school. The |
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| 50 | 50 | | district may not charge the student for a course provided under this |
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| 51 | 51 | | subsection. |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2011-2012 |
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| 53 | 53 | | school year. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 55 | 55 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 56 | 56 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 57 | 57 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 58 | 58 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |
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