| 1 | 1 | | 86R9578 TSS-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Huffman S.B. No. 1155 |
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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 a public school student's transition from an |
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| 8 | 8 | | alternative education program to a regular classroom. |
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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. Subchapter A, Chapter 37, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 37.023 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 37.023. TRANSITION FROM ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM |
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| 13 | 13 | | TO REGULAR CLASSROOM. (a) In this section: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Alternative education program" includes: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (A) a disciplinary alternative education program |
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| 16 | 16 | | operated by a school district or open-enrollment charter school; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (B) a juvenile justice alternative education |
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| 18 | 18 | | program; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (C) a residential program or facility operated by |
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| 20 | 20 | | or under contract with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, a |
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| 21 | 21 | | juvenile board, or any other governmental entity. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) "Licensed clinical social worker" has the meaning |
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| 23 | 23 | | assigned by Section 505.002, Occupations Code. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (b) As soon as practicable after an alternative education |
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| 25 | 25 | | program determines the date of a student's release from the |
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| 26 | 26 | | program, the alternative education program administrator shall: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) provide written notice of that date to: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (A) the student's parent or a person standing in |
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| 29 | 29 | | parental relation to the student; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | (B) the administrator of the campus to which the |
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| 31 | 31 | | student intends to transition; and |
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| 32 | 32 | | (2) provide the campus administrator: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (A) an assessment of the student's academic |
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| 34 | 34 | | growth while attending the alternative education program; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (B) the results of any assessment instruments |
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| 36 | 36 | | administered to the student. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (c) Not later than five instructional days after the date of |
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| 38 | 38 | | a student's release from an alternative education program, the |
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| 39 | 39 | | campus administrator shall coordinate the student's transition to a |
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| 40 | 40 | | regular classroom. The coordination must include assistance and |
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| 41 | 41 | | recommendations from: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (1) school counselors; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (2) school district peace officers; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (3) school resource officers; |
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| 45 | 45 | | (4) licensed clinical social workers; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (5) campus behavior coordinators; |
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| 47 | 47 | | (6) classroom teachers; and |
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| 48 | 48 | | (7) any other appropriate school district personnel. |
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| 49 | 49 | | (d) The assistance required by Subsection (c) must include a |
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| 50 | 50 | | personalized transition plan for the student developed by the |
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| 51 | 51 | | campus administrator. A personalized transition plan: |
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| 52 | 52 | | (1) must include recommendations for the best |
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| 53 | 53 | | educational placement of the student; and |
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| 54 | 54 | | (2) may include: |
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| 55 | 55 | | (A) recommendations for counseling, behavioral |
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| 56 | 56 | | management, or academic assistance for the student with a |
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| 57 | 57 | | concentration on the student's academic or career goals; |
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| 58 | 58 | | (B) recommendations for assistance for obtaining |
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| 59 | 59 | | access to mental health services provided by the district or |
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| 60 | 60 | | school, a local mental health authority, or another private or |
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| 61 | 61 | | public entity; |
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| 62 | 62 | | (C) the provision of information to the student's |
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| 63 | 63 | | parent or a person standing in parental relation to the student |
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| 64 | 64 | | about the process to request a full individual and initial |
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| 65 | 65 | | evaluation of the student for purposes of special education |
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| 66 | 66 | | services under Section 29.004; and |
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| 67 | 67 | | (D) a regular review of the student's progress |
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| 68 | 68 | | toward the student's academic or career goals. |
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| 69 | 69 | | (e) If practicable, the campus administrator, or the |
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| 70 | 70 | | administrator's designee, shall meet with the student's parent or a |
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| 71 | 71 | | person standing in parental relation to the student to coordinate |
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| 72 | 72 | | plans for the student's transition. |
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| 73 | 73 | | (f) This section applies only to a student subject to |
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| 74 | 74 | | compulsory attendance requirements under Section 25.085. |
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| 75 | 75 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020 |
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| 76 | 76 | | school year. |
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| 77 | 77 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 78 | 78 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 79 | 79 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 80 | 80 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 81 | 81 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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