Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1220 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Miles, et al. S.B. No. 1220
2		-	(Vo)
	1	+	S.B. No. 1220
3	2
4	3
5		-	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	4		AN ACT
7	5		relating to ensuring continuity of education and access to higher
8	6		education, career information, and skills certification for foster
9	7		care youth and former foster care youth.
10	8		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	9		SECTION 1. Section 25.007(b), Education Code, as amended by
12	10		Chapters 746 (H.B. 1804), 822 (H.B. 3748), and 1206 (S.B. 1494),
13	11		Acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is reenacted
14	12		and amended to read as follows:
15	13		(b) In recognition of the challenges faced by students who
16	14		are homeless or in substitute care, the agency shall assist the
17	15		transition of students who are homeless or in substitute care from
18	16		one school to another by:
19	17		(1) ensuring that school records for a student who is
20	18		homeless or in substitute care are transferred to the student's new
21	19		school not later than the 10th working day after the date the
22	20		student begins enrollment at the school;
23	21		(2) developing systems to ease transition of a student
24	22		who is homeless or in substitute care during the first two weeks of
25	23		enrollment at a new school;
26	24		(3) developing procedures for awarding credit,
27	25		including partial credit if appropriate, for course work, including
28	26		electives, completed by a student who is homeless or in substitute
29	27		care while enrolled at another school;
30	28		(4) developing procedures to ensure that a new school
31	29		relies on decisions made by the previous school regarding placement
32	30		in courses or educational programs of a student who is homeless or
33	31		in substitute care and places the student in comparable courses or
34	32		educational programs at the new school, if those courses or
35	33		programs are available;
36	34		(5) promoting practices that facilitate access by a
37	35		student who is homeless or in substitute care to extracurricular
38	36		programs, summer programs, credit transfer services, electronic
39	37		courses provided under Chapter 30A, and after-school tutoring
40	38		programs at nominal or no cost;
41	39		(6) [(5)] establishing procedures to lessen the
42	40		adverse impact of the movement of a student who is homeless or in
43	41		substitute care to a new school;
44	42		(7) [(6)] entering into a memorandum of understanding
45	43		with the Department of Family and Protective Services regarding the
46	44		exchange of information as appropriate to facilitate the transition
47	45		of students in substitute care from one school to another;
48	46		(8) [(7)] encouraging school districts and
49	47		open-enrollment charter schools to provide services for a student
50	48		who is homeless or in substitute care in transition when applying
51	49		for admission to postsecondary study and when seeking sources of
52	50		funding for postsecondary study;
53	51		(9) [(8)] requiring school districts, campuses, and
54	52		open-enrollment charter schools to accept a referral for special
55	53		education services made for a student who is homeless or in
56	54		substitute care by a school previously attended by the student, and
57	55		to provide comparable services to the student during the referral
58	56		process or until the new school develops an individualized
59	57		education program for the student;
60	58		(10) [(9)] requiring school districts, campuses, and
61	59		open-enrollment charter schools to provide notice to the child's
62	60		educational decision-maker and caseworker regarding events that
63	61		may significantly impact the education of a child, including:
64	62		(A) requests or referrals for an evaluation under
65	63		Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794), or
66	64		special education under Section 29.003;
67	65		(B) admission, review, and dismissal committee
68	66		meetings;
69	67		(C) manifestation determination reviews required
70	68		by Section 37.004(b);
71	69		(D) any disciplinary actions under Chapter 37 for
72	70		which parental notice is required;
73	71		(E) citations issued for Class C misdemeanor
74	72		offenses on school property or at school-sponsored activities;
75	73		(F) reports of restraint and seclusion required
76	74		by Section 37.0021; and
77	75		(G) use of corporal punishment as provided by
78	76		Section 37.0011;
79	77		(11) [(10)] developing procedures for allowing a
80	78		student who is homeless or in substitute care who was previously
81	79		enrolled in a course required for graduation the opportunity, to
82	80		the extent practicable, to complete the course, at no cost to the
83	81		student, before the beginning of the next school year;
84	82		(12) [(11)] ensuring that a student who is homeless or
85	83		in substitute care who is not likely to receive a high school
86	84		diploma before the fifth school year following the student's
87	85		enrollment in grade nine, as determined by the district, has the
88	86		student's course credit accrual and personal graduation plan
89	87		reviewed;
90	88		(13) [(12)] ensuring that a student in substitute care
91	89		who is in grade 11 or 12 be provided information regarding tuition
92	90		and fee exemptions under Section 54.366 for dual-credit or other
93	91		courses provided by a public institution of higher education for
94	92		which a high school student may earn joint high school and college
95	93		credit; [and]
96	94		(14) [(13)] designating at least one agency employee
97	95		to act as a liaison officer regarding educational issues related to
98	96		students in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and
99	97		Protective Services; and
100	98		(15) [(14)] providing other assistance as identified
101	99		by the agency.
102	100		SECTION 2. Section 25.007, Education Code, is amended by
103	101		adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
104	102		(c) The commissioner may establish rules to implement this
105	103		section and to facilitate the transition between schools of
106	104		children who are homeless or in substitute care.
107	105		SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 264, Family Code, is
108	106		amended by adding Section 264.1211 to read as follows:
109	107		Sec. 264.1211. CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION PROGRAM.
110	108		(a) The department shall collaborate with local workforce
111	109		development boards, foster care transition centers, community and
112	110		technical colleges, schools, and any other appropriate workforce
113	111		industry resources to create a program that:
114	112		(1) assists foster care youth and former foster care
115	113		youth in obtaining:
116	114		(A) a high school diploma or a high school
117	115		equivalency certificate; and
118	116		(B) industry certifications that are necessary
119	117		for occupations that are in high demand;
120	118		(2) provides career guidance to foster care youth and
121	119		former foster care youth; and
122	120		(3) informs foster care youth and former foster care
123	121		youth about the tuition and fee waivers for institutions of higher
124	122		education that are available under Section 54.366, Education Code.
125	123		(b) Not later than September 1, 2018, the department, in
126	124		collaboration with the Texas Education Agency, shall produce a
127	125		report on the program created under Subsection (a). The report must
128	126		include recommendations for legislative or other action to further
129	127		develop the program. The department shall submit the report to the
130	128		governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
131	129		representatives, and the standing committees of the legislature
132	130		with jurisdiction over education. This subsection expires
133	131		September 1, 2019.
134	132		SECTION 4. Section 25.007(b), Education Code, as reenacted
135	133		and amended by this Act, applies beginning with the 2017-2018
136	134		school year.
137	135		SECTION 5. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails
138	136		over another Act of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017,
139	137		relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted
140	138		codes.
141	139		SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
142	140		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
143	141		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
144	142		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
145	143		Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
	144	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	145	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	146	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1220 passed the Senate on
	147	+	May 4, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
	148	+	______________________________
	149	+	Secretary of the Senate
	150	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1220 passed the House on
	151	+	May 20, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 137, Nays 0, one
	152	+	present not voting.
	153	+	______________________________
	154	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	155	+	Approved:
	156	+	______________________________
	157	+	Date
	158	+	______________________________
	159	+	Governor