Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1361 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R5250 CAE-F
2	2	By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 1361
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the election of the board of trustees of certain school
8	8	districts and the powers and duties of the board of trustees of
9	9	school districts.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 11.052, Education Code, is amended by
12	12	adding Subsection (b-1) and amending Subsection (d) to read as
13	13	follows:
14	14	(b-1) Subsections (a) and (c) do not apply in the case of an
15	15	order adopted under this subsection. The board of trustees of an
16	16	independent school district with the largest student enrollment in
17	17	a county with a population of 3.3 million or more shall order that
18	18	trustees of the district are to be elected as follows:
19	19	(1) four trustees elected from the district at large;
20	20	and
21	21	(2) five trustees elected from single-member trustee
22	22	districts.
23	23	(d) An order of the board adopted under Subsection (a), [or]
24	24	(b), or (b-1) must be entered not later than the 120th day before
25	25	the date of the first election at which all or some of the trustees
26	26	are elected from single-member trustee districts authorized by the
27	27	order.
28	28	SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 11, Education Code, is
29	29	amended by adding Section 11.0582 to read as follows:
30	30	Sec. 11.0582. RESIGNATION FOR CANDIDACY OF ANOTHER OFFICE.
31	31	(a) The board of trustees of an independent school district may by
32	32	a two-thirds vote adopt a resolution requiring a member of the board
33	33	of trustees to resign from the board before running for another
34	34	elected office. The board of trustees shall adopt procedures for
35	35	implementing this section.
36	36	(b) A board of trustees that adopts a requirement under this
37	37	section may by a two-thirds vote eliminate the requirement.
38	38	SECTION 3. Section 11.162(c), Education Code, is amended to
39	39	read as follows:
40	40	(c) A parent or guardian of a student assigned to attend a
41	41	school at which students are required to wear school uniforms may
42	42	choose for the student to be exempted from the requirement or to
43	43	transfer to a school at which students are not required to wear
44	44	uniforms and at which space is available if the parent or guardian
45	45	provides a written statement that, as determined by the board of
46	46	trustees or the board's designee, states a bona fide religious or
47	47	philosophical objection to the requirement.
48	48	SECTION 4. Section 28.0214, Education Code, is amended to
49	49	read as follows:
50	50	Sec. 28.0214. FINALITY OF GRADE. (a) An examination or
51	51	course grade issued by a classroom teacher is final and may not be
52	52	changed unless the grade is arbitrary, erroneous, or not consistent
53	53	with the school district grading policy applicable to the grade, as
54	54	determined by the board of trustees or the board's designee of the
55	55	school district in which the teacher is employed.
56	56	(b) A determination by a school district board of trustees
57	57	or the board's designee under Subsection (a) is not subject to
58	58	appeal. This subsection does not prohibit an appeal related to a
59	59	student's eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities
60	60	under Section 33.081.
61	61	SECTION 5. Sections 28.023(a), (b), (c), (c-1), (d), and
62	62	(h), Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
63	63	(a) Using guidelines established by the State Board of
64	64	Education, a school district shall develop or select for review by
65	65	the district board of trustees or the board's designee examinations
66	66	for acceleration for each primary school grade level and for credit
67	67	for secondary school academic subjects. The guidelines must
68	68	provide for the examinations to thoroughly test comprehension of
69	69	the information presented in the applicable grade level or subject.
70	70	The board of trustees or the board's designee shall approve for each
71	71	subject, to the extent available, at least four examinations that
72	72	satisfy State Board of Education guidelines. The examinations
73	73	approved by the board of trustees or the board's designee must
74	74	include:
75	75	(1) advanced placement examinations developed by the
76	76	College Board; and
77	77	(2) examinations administered through the
78	78	College-Level Examination Program.
79	79	(b) A school district shall give a student in a primary
80	80	grade level credit for a grade level and advance the student one
81	81	grade level on the basis of an examination for acceleration
82	82	approved by the board of trustees or the board's designee under
83	83	Subsection (a) if:
84	84	(1) the student scores in the 80th percentile or above
85	85	on each section of the examination;
86	86	(2) a district representative recommends that the
87	87	student be advanced; and
88	88	(3) the student's parent or guardian gives written
89	89	approval of the advancement.
90	90	(c) A school district shall give a student in grade level
91	91	six or above credit for a subject on the basis of an examination for
92	92	credit in the subject approved by the board of trustees or the
93	93	board's designee under Subsection (a) if the student scores in the
94	94	80th percentile or above on the examination or if the student
95	95	achieves a score as provided by Subsection (c-1). If a student is
96	96	given credit in a subject on the basis of an examination, the
97	97	district shall enter the examination score on the student's
98	98	transcript and the student is not required to take an end-of-course
99	99	assessment instrument adopted under Section 39.023(c) for that
100	100	subject.
101	101	(c-1) A school district shall give a student in grade level
102	102	six or above credit for a subject if the student scores:
103	103	(1) a three or higher on an advanced placement
104	104	examination approved by the board of trustees or the board's
105	105	designee under Subsection (a) and developed by the College Board;
106	106	or
107	107	(2) a scaled score of 50 or higher on an examination
108	108	approved by the board of trustees or the board's designee under
109	109	Subsection (a) and administered through the College-Level
110	110	Examination Program.
111	111	(d) Each district shall administer each examination
112	112	approved by the board of trustees or the board's designee under
113	113	Subsection (a) not fewer than four times each year, at times to be
114	114	determined by the State Board of Education.
115	115	(h) This subsection applies only to a school district
116	116	surrounded by a school district described by Section 11.065(a).
117	117	Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a school
118	118	district's board of trustees or the board's designee may establish a
119	119	minimum required score for each section of an examination for
120	120	acceleration or an examination for credit approved by the board or
121	121	the board's designee under Subsection (a) that is higher than the
122	122	minimum required scores under Subsections (b) and (c),
123	123	respectively. A minimum required score established by a board of
124	124	trustees or the board's designee under this subsection:
125	125	(1) may be no greater than a score in the 90th
126	126	percentile;
127	127	(2) must be established before the beginning of a
128	128	school year for examinations to be administered in the school year;
129	129	and
130	130	(3) must apply for at least the entire school year.
131	131	SECTION 6. Sections 29.089(c) and (d), Education Code, are
132	132	amended to read as follows:
133	133	(c) The [board of trustees of the] district shall obtain the
134	134	consent of a student's parent or guardian before allowing the
135	135	student to participate in the program.
136	136	(d) The [board of trustees of the] district may arrange for
137	137	any public or nonprofit community-based organization to come to the
138	138	district's schools and implement the program.
139	139	SECTION 7. Section 29.183, Education Code, is amended to
140	140	read as follows:
141	141	Sec. 29.183. CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL
142	142	PROGRAMS. (a) A [The board of trustees of a] school district may
143	143	conduct and supervise career and technology classes and other
144	144	educational programs for students and for other persons of all ages
145	145	and spend local maintenance funds for the cost of those classes and
146	146	programs.
147	147	(b) In developing a career and technology program, the
148	148	district [board of trustees] shall consider the state plan for
149	149	career and technology education required under Section 29.182.
150	150	SECTION 8. Section 54.363(f), Education Code, is amended to
151	151	read as follows:
152	152	(f) The board of trustees or the board's designee of a
153	153	school district shall establish a plan to encourage the hiring of
154	154	educational aides who show a willingness to become certified
155	155	teachers.
156	156	SECTION 9. The board of trustees of a school district to
157	157	which Section 11.052(b-1), Education Code, as added by this Act,
158	158	applies shall adopt an order as required by that subsection not
159	159	later than December 31, 2021.
160	160	SECTION 10. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.