| 1 | 1 | | 83R14455 VOO-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Stickland, Krause, Sheets, Pickett, H.B. No. 202 |
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| 3 | 3 | | et al. |
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| 4 | 4 | | Substitute the following for H.B. No. 202: |
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| 5 | 5 | | By: Allen C.S.H.B. No. 202 |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 9 | 9 | | AN ACT |
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| 10 | 10 | | relating to the absence of a student from school to visit with a |
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| 11 | 11 | | parent or guardian who will be or has been deployed on military |
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| 12 | 12 | | duty. |
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| 13 | 13 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 1. Section 25.087, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 15 | 15 | | adding Subsection (b-4) and amending Subsection (d) to read as |
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| 16 | 16 | | follows: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b-4) A school district shall excuse a student whose parent |
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| 18 | 18 | | or legal guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services |
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| 19 | 19 | | as defined by Section 162.002 and has been called to duty for, is on |
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| 20 | 20 | | leave from, or immediately returned from continuous deployment of |
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| 21 | 21 | | at least four months outside the locality where the parent or |
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| 22 | 22 | | guardian regularly resides, to visit with the student's parent or |
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| 23 | 23 | | guardian. A school district may not excuse a student under this |
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| 24 | 24 | | subsection more than five days in a school year. An excused absence |
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| 25 | 25 | | under this subsection must be taken: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (1) not earlier than the 60th day before the date of |
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| 27 | 27 | | deployment; or |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) not later than the 30th day after the date of |
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| 29 | 29 | | return from deployment. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (d) A student whose absence is excused under Subsection (b), |
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| 31 | 31 | | (b-2), (b-4), or (c) may not be penalized for that absence and shall |
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| 32 | 32 | | be counted as if the student attended school for purposes of |
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| 33 | 33 | | calculating the average daily attendance of students in the school |
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| 34 | 34 | | district. A student whose absence is excused under Subsection (b), |
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| 35 | 35 | | (b-2), (b-4), or (c) shall be allowed a reasonable time to make up |
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| 36 | 36 | | school work missed on those days. If the student satisfactorily |
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| 37 | 37 | | completes the school work, the day of absence shall be counted as a |
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| 38 | 38 | | day of compulsory attendance. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 40 | 40 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 41 | 41 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 42 | 42 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 43 | 43 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
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