Texas 2013 - 83rd Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1404 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Patrick, et al. S.B. No. 1404
2	2	(Parker)
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to attendance at and completion of high school by students
8	8	who are in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and
9	9	Protective Services.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Subsection (b), Section 25.007, Education Code,
12	12	is amended to read as follows:
13	13	(b) In recognition of the challenges faced by students in
14	14	substitute care, the agency shall assist the transition of
15	15	substitute care students from one school to another by:
16	16	(1) ensuring that school records for a student in
17	17	substitute care are transferred to the student's new school not
18	18	later than the 14th day after the date the student begins enrollment
19	19	at the school;
20	20	(2) developing systems to ease transition of a student
21	21	in substitute care during the first two weeks of enrollment at a new
22	22	school;
23	23	(3) developing procedures for awarding credit,
24	24	including partial credit if appropriate, for course work, including
25	25	electives, completed by a student in substitute care while enrolled
26	26	at another school;
27	27	(4) promoting practices that facilitate access by a
28	28	student in substitute care to extracurricular programs, summer
29	29	programs, credit transfer services, electronic courses provided
30	30	under Chapter 30A, and after-school tutoring programs at nominal or
31	31	no cost;
32	32	(5) establishing procedures to lessen the adverse
33	33	impact of the movement of a student in substitute care to a new
34	34	school;
35	35	(6) entering into a memorandum of understanding with
36	36	the Department of Family and Protective Services regarding the
37	37	exchange of information as appropriate to facilitate the transition
38	38	of students in substitute care from one school to another;
39	39	(7) encouraging school districts and open-enrollment
40	40	charter schools to provide services for a student in substitute
41	41	care in transition when applying for admission to postsecondary
42	42	study and when seeking sources of funding for postsecondary study;
43	43	(8) requiring school districts, campuses, and
44	44	open-enrollment charter schools to accept a referral for special
45	45	education services made for a student in substitute care by a school
46	46	previously attended by the student; [and]
47	47	(9) providing other assistance as identified by the
48	48	agency;
49	49	(10) developing procedures for allowing a student in
50	50	substitute care who was previously enrolled in a course required
51	51	for graduation the opportunity, to the extent practicable, to
52	52	complete the course, at no cost to the student, before the beginning
53	53	of the next school year;
54	54	(11) ensuring that a student in substitute care who is
55	55	not likely to receive a high school diploma before the fifth school
56	56	year following the student's enrollment in grade nine, as
57	57	determined by the district, has the student's course credit accrual
58	58	and personal graduation plan reviewed; and
59	59	(12) ensuring that a student in substitute care who is
60	60	in grade 11 or 12 be provided information regarding tuition and fee
61	61	exemptions under Section 54.366 for dual-credit or other courses
62	62	provided by a public institution of higher education for which a
63	63	high school student may earn joint high school and college credit.
64	64	SECTION 2. Subsection (b), Section 25.087, Education Code,
65	65	is amended to read as follows:
66	66	(b) A school district shall excuse a student from attending
67	67	school for:
68	68	(1) the following purposes, including travel for those
69	69	purposes:
70	70	(A) observing religious holy days;
71	71	(B) attending a required court appearance;
72	72	(C) appearing at a governmental office to
73	73	complete paperwork required in connection with the student's
74	74	application for United States citizenship;
75	75	(D) taking part in a United States naturalization
76	76	oath ceremony; [or]
77	77	(E) serving as an election clerk; or
78	78	(F) if the student is in the conservatorship of
79	79	the Department of Family and Protective Services, participating in
80	80	an activity ordered by a court under Chapter 262 or 263, Family
81	81	Code, provided that it is not practicable to schedule the
82	82	participation outside of school hours; or
83	83	(2) a temporary absence resulting from health care
84	84	professionals if that student commences classes or returns to
85	85	school on the same day of the appointment.
86	86	SECTION 3. Subsection (a), Section 28.0213, Education Code,
87	87	is amended to read as follows:
88	88	(a) A school district shall offer an intensive program of
89	89	instruction to a student who:
90	90	(1) does not perform satisfactorily on an assessment
91	91	instrument administered under Subchapter B, Chapter 39; or
92	92	(2) is not likely to receive a high school diploma
93	93	before the fifth school year following the student's enrollment in
94	94	grade nine, as determined by the district.
95	95	SECTION 4. Section 28.025, Education Code, is amended by
96	96	adding Subsection (i) to read as follows:
97	97	(i) If an 11th or 12th grade student in the conservatorship
98	98	of the Department of Family and Protective Services transfers to a
99	99	different school district and the student is ineligible to graduate
100	100	from the district to which the student transfers, the district from
101	101	which the student transferred shall award a diploma at the
102	102	student's request, if the student meets the graduation requirements
103	103	of the district from which the student transferred.
104	104	SECTION 5. This Act applies beginning with the 2013-2014
105	105	school year.
106	106	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
107	107	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
108	108	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
109	109	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
110	110	Act takes effect September 1, 2013.