| 1 | 1 | | By: Garcia S.B. No. 1482 |
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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 alternative education programs for middle school |
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| 7 | 7 | | students. |
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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. Section 29.081, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 10 | 10 | | amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (e-1) to read as |
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| 11 | 11 | | follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (d) For purposes of this section, "student at risk of |
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| 13 | 13 | | dropping out of school" includes each student who is under 26 years |
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| 14 | 14 | | of age and who: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) was not advanced from one grade level to the next |
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| 16 | 16 | | for one or more school years; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) if the student is in grade 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or |
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| 18 | 18 | | 12, did not maintain an average equivalent to 70 on a scale of 100 in |
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| 19 | 19 | | two or more subjects in the foundation curriculum during a semester |
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| 20 | 20 | | in the preceding or current school year or is not maintaining such |
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| 21 | 21 | | an average in two or more subjects in the foundation curriculum in |
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| 22 | 22 | | the current semester; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) did not perform satisfactorily on an assessment |
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| 24 | 24 | | instrument administered to the student under Subchapter B, Chapter |
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| 25 | 25 | | 39, and who has not in the previous or current school year |
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| 26 | 26 | | subsequently performed on that instrument or another appropriate |
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| 27 | 27 | | instrument at a level equal to at least 110 percent of the level of |
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| 28 | 28 | | satisfactory performance on that instrument; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (4) if the student is in prekindergarten, |
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| 30 | 30 | | kindergarten, or grade 1, 2, or 3, did not perform satisfactorily on |
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| 31 | 31 | | a readiness test or assessment instrument administered during the |
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| 32 | 32 | | current school year; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (5) is pregnant or is a parent; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (6) has been placed in an alternative education |
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| 35 | 35 | | program in accordance with Section 37.006 during the preceding or |
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| 36 | 36 | | current school year; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (7) has been expelled in accordance with Section |
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| 38 | 38 | | 37.007 during the preceding or current school year; |
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| 39 | 39 | | (8) is currently on parole, probation, deferred |
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| 40 | 40 | | prosecution, or other conditional release; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (9) was previously reported through the Public |
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| 42 | 42 | | Education Information Management System (PEIMS) to have dropped out |
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| 43 | 43 | | of school; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (10) is a student of limited English proficiency, as |
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| 45 | 45 | | defined by Section 29.052; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (11) is in the custody or care of the Department of |
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| 47 | 47 | | Protective and Regulatory Services or has, during the current |
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| 48 | 48 | | school year, been referred to the department by a school official, |
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| 49 | 49 | | officer of the juvenile court, or law enforcement official; |
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| 50 | 50 | | (12) is homeless, as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section |
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| 51 | 51 | | 11302, and its subsequent amendments; or |
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| 52 | 52 | | (13) resided in the preceding school year or resides |
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| 53 | 53 | | in the current school year in a residential placement facility in |
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| 54 | 54 | | the district, including a detention facility, substance abuse |
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| 55 | 55 | | treatment facility, emergency shelter, psychiatric hospital, |
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| 56 | 56 | | halfway house, or foster group home. |
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| 57 | 57 | | (e-1) Each school district may provide alternative |
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| 58 | 58 | | education programs for students at risk of dropping out of school |
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| 59 | 59 | | who are in grade 6, 7, or 8. The district may partner with a private |
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| 60 | 60 | | or public community-based organization to assist in providing |
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| 61 | 61 | | expanded learning opportunities for students at risk of dropping |
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| 62 | 62 | | out. A program under this subsection must educate students about |
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| 63 | 63 | | each endorsement described by Section 28.025(c-1) and |
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| 64 | 64 | | postsecondary education and career opportunities by: |
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| 65 | 65 | | (1) including experiential, project-based learning |
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| 66 | 66 | | activities related to the endorsements; and |
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| 67 | 67 | | (2) incorporating volunteer business and industry |
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| 68 | 68 | | mentors from the local community. |
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| 69 | 69 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016 |
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| 70 | 70 | | school year. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 72 | 72 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 73 | 73 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 74 | 74 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 75 | 75 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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