Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1640 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		85R25537 MK-D
2	2		By: Vo, Bernal H.B. No. 1640
3		-	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1640:
4		-	By: Minjarez C.S.H.B. No. 1640
5	3
6	4
7	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	6		AN ACT
9	7		relating to ensuring continuity of education for homeless children
10	8		and foster care youth and access to higher education, career
11	9		information, and skills certification for foster care youth and
12	10		former foster care youth.
13	11		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	12		SECTION 1. Section 25.007(b), Education Code, as amended by
15	13		Chapters 746 (H.B. 1804), 822 (H.B. 3748), and 1206 (S.B. 1494),
16	14		Acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is reenacted
17	15		and amended to read as follows:
18	16		(b) In recognition of the challenges faced by students who
19	17		are homeless or in substitute care, the agency shall assist the
20	18		transition of students who are homeless or in substitute care from
21	19		one school to another by:
22	20		(1) ensuring that school records for a student who is
23	21		homeless or in substitute care are transferred to the student's new
24	22		school not later than the 10th working day after the date the
25	23		student begins enrollment at the school;
26	24		(2) developing systems to ease transition of a student
27	25		who is homeless or in substitute care during the first two weeks of
28	26		enrollment at a new school;
29	27		(3) developing procedures for awarding credit,
30	28		including partial credit if appropriate, for course work, including
31	29		electives, completed by a student who is homeless or in substitute
32	30		care while enrolled at another school;
33	31		(4) developing procedures to ensure that a new school
34	32		relies on decisions made by the previous school regarding placement
35	33		in courses or educational programs of a student who is homeless or
36	34		in substitute care and places the student in comparable courses or
37	35		educational programs at the new school, if those courses or
38	36		programs are available;
39	37		(5) promoting practices that facilitate access by a
40	38		student who is homeless or in substitute care to extracurricular
41	39		programs, summer programs, credit transfer services, electronic
42	40		courses provided under Chapter 30A, and after-school tutoring
43	41		programs at nominal or no cost;
44	42		(6) [(5)] establishing procedures to lessen the
45	43		adverse impact of the movement of a student who is homeless or in
46	44		substitute care to a new school;
47	45		(7) [(6)] entering into a memorandum of understanding
48	46		with the Department of Family and Protective Services regarding the
49	47		exchange of information as appropriate to facilitate the transition
50	48		of students in substitute care from one school to another;
51	49		(8) [(7)] encouraging school districts and
52	50		open-enrollment charter schools to provide services for a student
53	51		who is homeless or in substitute care in transition when applying
54	52		for admission to postsecondary study and when seeking sources of
55	53		funding for postsecondary study;
56	54		(9) [(8)] requiring school districts, campuses, and
57	55		open-enrollment charter schools to accept a referral for special
58	56		education services made for a student who is homeless or in
59	57		substitute care by a school previously attended by the student, and
60	58		to provide comparable services to the student during the referral
61	59		process or until the new school develops an individualized
62	60		education program for the student;
63	61		(10) [(9)] requiring school districts, campuses, and
64	62		open-enrollment charter schools to provide notice to the child's
65	63		educational decision-maker and caseworker regarding events that
66	64		may significantly impact the education of a child, including:
67	65		(A) requests or referrals for an evaluation under
68	66		Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794), or
69	67		special education under Section 29.003;
70	68		(B) admission, review, and dismissal committee
71	69		meetings;
72	70		(C) manifestation determination reviews required
73	71		by Section 37.004(b);
74	72		(D) any disciplinary actions under Chapter 37 for
75	73		which parental notice is required;
76	74		(E) citations issued for Class C misdemeanor
77	75		offenses on school property or at school-sponsored activities;
78	76		(F) reports of restraint and seclusion required
79	77		by Section 37.0021; and
80	78		(G) use of corporal punishment as provided by
81	79		Section 37.0011;
82	80		(11) [(10)] developing procedures for allowing a
83	81		student who is homeless or in substitute care who was previously
84	82		enrolled in a course required for graduation the opportunity, to
85	83		the extent practicable, to complete the course, at no cost to the
86	84		student, before the beginning of the next school year;
87	85		(12) [(11)] ensuring that a student who is homeless or
88	86		in substitute care who is not likely to receive a high school
89	87		diploma before the fifth school year following the student's
90	88		enrollment in grade nine, as determined by the district, has the
91	89		student's course credit accrual and personal graduation plan
92	90		reviewed;
93	91		(13) [(12)] ensuring that a student in substitute care
94	92		who is in grade 11 or 12 be provided information regarding tuition
95	93		and fee exemptions under Section 54.366 for dual-credit or other
96	94		courses provided by a public institution of higher education for
97	95		which a high school student may earn joint high school and college
98	96		credit; [and]
99	97		(14) [(13)] designating at least one agency employee
100	98		to act as a liaison officer regarding educational issues related to
101	99		students in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and
102	100		Protective Services; and
103	101		(15) [(14)] providing other assistance as identified
104	102		by the agency.
105	103		SECTION 2. Section 25.007, Education Code, is amended by
106	104		adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
107	105		(c) The commissioner may establish rules to implement this
108	106		section and to facilitate the transition between schools of
109	107		children who are homeless or in substitute care.
110	108		SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 264, Family Code, is
111	109		amended by adding Section 264.1211 to read as follows:
112	110		Sec. 264.1211. CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION PROGRAM.
113	111		(a) The department shall collaborate with local workforce
114	112		development boards, foster care transition centers, community and
115	113		technical colleges, schools, and any other appropriate workforce
116	114		industry resources to create a program that:
117	115		(1) assists foster care youth and former foster care
118	116		youth in obtaining:
119	117		(A) a high school diploma or a high school
120	118		equivalency certificate; and
121	119		(B) industry certifications that are necessary
122	120		for occupations that are in high demand;
123	121		(2) provides career guidance to foster care youth and
124	122		former foster care youth; and
125	123		(3) informs foster care youth and former foster care
126	124		youth about the tuition and fee waivers for institutions of higher
127	125		education that are available under Section 54.366, Education Code.
128	126		(b) Not later than September 1, 2018, the department, in
129	127		collaboration with the Texas Education Agency, shall produce a
130	128		report on the program created under Subsection (a). The report must
131	129		include recommendations for legislative or other action to further
132	130		develop the program. The department shall submit the report to the
133	131		governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
134	132		representatives, and the standing committees of the legislature
135	133		with jurisdiction over education. This subsection expires
136	134		September 1, 2019.
137	135		SECTION 4. Section 25.007(b), Education Code, as reenacted
138	136		and amended by this Act, applies beginning with the 2017-2018
139	137		school year.
140	138		SECTION 5. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails
141	139		over another Act of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017,
142	140		relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted
143	141		codes.
144	142		SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
145	143		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
146	144		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
147	145		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
148	146		Act takes effect September 1, 2017.