Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2515 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	86R1110 SRS-D
2	2	By: Pacheco H.B. No. 2515
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the scheduling of the first and last days of school for
8	8	students by school districts.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 12A.003(b), Education Code, is amended
11	11	to read as follows:
12	12	(b) A local innovation plan must:
13	13	(1) provide for a comprehensive educational program
14	14	for the district, which program may include:
15	15	(A) innovative curriculum, instructional
16	16	methods, and provisions regarding community participation, campus
17	17	governance, and parental involvement;
18	18	(B) except as provided by Section 12A.004(a),
19	19	modifications to the school day or year;
20	20	(C) provisions regarding the district budget and
21	21	sustainable program funding;
22	22	(D) accountability and assessment measures that
23	23	exceed the requirements of state and federal law; and
24	24	(E) any other innovations prescribed by the board
25	25	of trustees; and
26	26	(2) identify requirements imposed by this code that
27	27	inhibit the goals of the plan and from which the district should be
28	28	exempted on adoption of the plan, subject to Section 12A.004.
29	29	SECTION 2. Section 12A.004(a), Education Code, is amended
30	30	to read as follows:
31	31	(a) A local innovation plan may not provide for the
32	32	exemption of a district designated as a district of innovation from
33	33	the following provisions of this title:
34	34	(1) a state or federal requirement applicable to an
35	35	open-enrollment charter school operating under Subchapter D,
36	36	Chapter 12;
37	37	(2) Subchapters A, C, D, and E, Chapter 11, except that
38	38	a district may be exempt from Sections 11.1511(b)(5) and (14) and
39	39	Section 11.162;
40	40	(3) state curriculum and graduation requirements
41	41	adopted under Chapter 28; [and]
42	42	(4) academic and financial accountability and
43	43	sanctions under Chapters 39 and 39A; and
44	44	(5) the first or last day of instruction requirements
45	45	under Sections 25.0811 and 25.0812.
46	46	SECTION 3. Section 25.0811(a), Education Code, is amended
47	47	to read as follows:
48	48	(a) Except as provided by this section, a school district
49	49	may not begin instruction for students for a school year before the
50	50	Tuesday after Labor Day [the fourth Monday in August]. A school
51	51	district may:
52	52	(1) begin instruction for students for a school year
53	53	before the Tuesday after Labor Day [the fourth Monday in August] if
54	54	the district operates a year-round system under Section 25.084; or
55	55	(2) begin instruction for students for a school year
56	56	on or after the first Monday in August at a campus or at not more
57	57	than 20 percent of the campuses in the district if:
58	58	(A) the district has a student enrollment of
59	59	190,000 or more;
60	60	(B) the district at the beginning of the school
61	61	year provides, financed with local funds, days of instruction for
62	62	students at the campus or at each of the multiple campuses, in
63	63	addition to the minimum [number of days of] instruction time
64	64	required under Section 25.081;
65	65	(C) the campus or each of the multiple campuses
66	66	is [are] undergoing comprehensive reform, as determined by the
67	67	board of trustees of the district; and
68	68	(D) a majority of the students at the campus or at
69	69	each of the multiple campuses are educationally disadvantaged.
70	70	SECTION 4. Section 25.0812, Education Code, is amended by
71	71	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as
72	72	follows:
73	73	(a) Except as provided by Subsection (a-1) or (b), a school
74	74	district may not schedule the last day of school for students for a
75	75	school year before May 15 or after the Friday preceding Memorial
76	76	Day.
77	77	(a-1) A school district may schedule the last day of school
78	78	for students for a school year after the Friday preceding Memorial
79	79	Day if the district operates a year-round system under Section
80	80	25.084.
81	81	SECTION 5. Section 25.084(a), Education Code, is amended to
82	82	read as follows:
83	83	(a) A school district may operate its schools year-round on
84	84	either a single-track or a multitrack calendar. If a school
85	85	district adopts a year-round system, the district may modify:
86	86	(1) the number of contract days of employees and the
87	87	number of days of operation, including any time required for staff
88	88	development, planning and preparation, and continuing education,
89	89	otherwise required by law;
90	90	(2) testing dates, data reporting, and related
91	91	matters;
92	92	(3) the date of the first day of instruction of the
93	93	school year under Section 25.0811 and the date of the last day of
94	94	school for a school year under Section 25.0812 for a school that was
95	95	operating year-round for the 2018-2019 [2000-2001] school year; and
96	96	(4) a student's eligibility to participate in
97	97	extracurricular activities when the student's calendar track is not
98	98	in session.
99	99	SECTION 6. This Act applies beginning with the 2020-2021
100	100	school year.
101	101	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
102	102	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
103	103	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
104	104	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
105	105	Act takes effect September 1, 2019.