| 1 | 1 | | By: Meyer H.B. No. 4332 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the employment of certified school counselors to comply |
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| 7 | 7 | | with the ratio requirement of counselors to public school students. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Sections 33.002(b) and (c), Education Code, are |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (b) A school district with 400 [500] or more students |
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| 12 | 12 | | enrolled in elementary school grades shall employ a school |
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| 13 | 13 | | counselor certified under the rules of the State Board for Educator |
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| 14 | 14 | | Certification for each elementary school in the district. A school |
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| 15 | 15 | | district shall employ at least one school counselor for every 400 |
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| 16 | 16 | | [500] elementary school students in the district. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (c) A school district with fewer than 400 [500] students |
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| 18 | 18 | | enrolled in elementary school grades shall provide guidance and |
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| 19 | 19 | | counseling services to elementary school students by: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) employing a part-time school counselor certified |
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| 21 | 21 | | under the rules of the State Board for Educator Certification; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) employing a part-time teacher certified as a |
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| 23 | 23 | | school counselor under the rules of the State Board for Educator |
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| 24 | 24 | | Certification; or |
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| 25 | 25 | | (3) entering into a shared services arrangement |
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| 26 | 26 | | agreement with one or more school districts to share a school |
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| 27 | 27 | | counselor certified under the rules of the State Board for Educator |
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| 28 | 28 | | Certification. |
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| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020 |
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| 30 | 30 | | school year. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 32 | 32 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 33 | 33 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 34 | 34 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 35 | 35 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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