| 1 | 1 | | 85R4936 SRS-D |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Watson S.B. No. 355 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to the adoption and implementation of a recess policy by |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | public school districts. |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 28.0042 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 28.0042. RECESS POLICY. (a) The board of trustees of |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | each school district shall: |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | (1) after reviewing the policy recommendations of the |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | local school health advisory council provided under Section |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | 28.004(l), adopt a recess policy; and |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | (2) review and, if necessary, revise the recess policy |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | at least every five years. |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | (b) The recess policy must specify: |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | (1) the required number of minutes of weekly |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | unstructured playtime; and |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | (2) whether a student's recess time may be withheld as |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | a form of student discipline. |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (c) Each school district campus subject to the district |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | recess policy adopted under Subsection (a) shall implement the |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | recess policy. |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 2. (a) Not later than May 1, 2018, the board of |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | trustees of each school district shall adopt a recess policy as |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | required by Section 28.0042, Education Code, as added by this Act. |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (b) Not later than the beginning of the 2018-2019 school |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | year, each school district campus subject to a school district |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | recess policy adopted under Section 28.0042, Education Code, as |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | added by this Act, shall implement the adopted policy. |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
|---|