By: Turner of Harris H.B. No. 3896
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to access to school textbooks.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 26.006, Texas Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
Sec. 26.006. ACCESS TO TEACHING MATERIALS. (a) A parent is
entitled to:
(1) review all teaching materials, instructional materials,
and other teaching aids used in the classroom of the parent's child;
and
(2) review each test administered to the parent's child
after the test is administered.
(b) A school district shall make teaching materials and
tests readily available for review by parents. The district may
specify reasonable hours for review.
(c) A student's parent is entitled to request that the
school district or open-enrollment charter school the student
attends allow the student to take home any instructional materials
used by the student. If the student does not have reliable access to
technology at home, the school district or open-enrollment charter
school shall provide the instructional materials printed in book
format. Subject to the availability of the instructional materials,
the district or school shall honor the request. A student who takes
home instructional materials must return the instructional
materials to school at the beginning of the next school day if
requested to do so by the student's teacher. In this subsection,
"instructional material" has the meaning assigned by Section
31.002.
(d) A school district or open-enrollment charter school
must document each parental request which is denied, including the
reason for denial, and must report the documentation to the Texas
Education Agency not later than 30 days after the parental request
is made.
(e) The agency shall submit an annual report to the
legislature not later than September 1 of each year that identifies
the number of parental requests which were denied, including the
reason for denial, for each school district or open-enrollment
charter school.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2015.