| 1 | 1 | | 85R2406 SRS-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Cyrier H.B. No. 358 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to excused absences from public school for the purpose of |
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| 8 | 8 | | visiting a military recruitment center or military installation. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 25.087(b-2), Education Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (b-2) A school district may excuse a student from attending |
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| 13 | 13 | | school to visit an institution of higher education accredited by a |
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| 14 | 14 | | generally recognized accrediting organization or a military |
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| 15 | 15 | | recruitment center or military installation for a branch of the |
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| 16 | 16 | | armed services of the United States during the student's junior and |
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| 17 | 17 | | senior years of high school for the purpose of determining the |
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| 18 | 18 | | student's interest in attending the institution of higher education |
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| 19 | 19 | | or enlisting in a branch of the armed services, provided that: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) the district may not excuse for this purpose more |
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| 21 | 21 | | than two days during the student's junior year and two days during |
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| 22 | 22 | | the student's senior year; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) the district adopts: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (A) a policy to determine when an absence will be |
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| 25 | 25 | | excused for this purpose; [and] |
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| 26 | 26 | | (B) a procedure to verify the student's visit at |
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| 27 | 27 | | the institution of higher education, military recruitment center, |
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| 28 | 28 | | or military installation; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (C) a procedure that requires written permission |
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| 30 | 30 | | from a student's parent for a student to travel with a military |
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| 31 | 31 | | recruiter for a visit to a military recruitment center or military |
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| 32 | 32 | | installation. |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018 |
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| 34 | 34 | | school year. |
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| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 36 | 36 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 37 | 37 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 38 | 38 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 39 | 39 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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