Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB272 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
	1	+	87R2738 BDP-F
1	2		By: West S.B. No. 272
2		-	(In the Senate - Filed December 30, 2020; March 3, 2021,
3		-	read first time and referred to Committee on Education;
4		-	April 19, 2021, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 7,
5		-	Nays 0; April 19, 2021, sent to printer.)
6		-	Click here to see the committee vote
7	3
8	4
9	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
10	6		AN ACT
11	7		relating to requiring the board of trustees of each school district
12	8		to create a nonvoting student trustee position on the board.
13	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	10		SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 11, Education Code, is
15	11		amended by adding Section 11.0512 to read as follows:
16	12		Sec. 11.0512. STUDENT TRUSTEE. (a) In addition to the
17	13		number of trustees of a school district as provided by Section
18	14		11.051, the board of trustees of each school district shall appoint
19	15		a student trustee in the manner provided by this section.
20	16		(b) The commissioner shall develop a uniform application
21	17		form to be used to solicit eligible applicants for the position of
22	18		student trustee.
23	19		(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), the principal of
24	20		each high school in a school district shall:
25	21		(1) not later than November 1 of each year, solicit
26	22		applicants for appointment to the next regular term of the position
27	23		of student trustee of the school district using the uniform
28	24		application form developed under Subsection (b);
29	25		(2) not later than January 1, select three applicants
30	26		from the applications received to serve as the school's
31	27		recommendations for the position of student trustee; and
32	28		(3) send the school's recommendations and
33	29		corresponding applications to the president of the board of
34	30		trustees of the school district.
35	31		(d) The principal of the high school at which a current
36	32		student trustee is enrolled at the time of the student's
37	33		appointment may not solicit applicants for the position of student
38	34		trustee for the next regular term of the position.
39	35		(e) The president of the board of trustees of each school
40	36		district shall select two or more applicants from the applications
41	37		received to serve as recommendations to the board for the student
42	38		trustee position.
43	39		(f) The board of trustees of a school district may request
44	40		to review all applications for the position of student trustee
45	41		received by the board president and may request an applicant to
46	42		submit additional information.
47	43		(g) On June 1, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the
48	44		board by majority vote shall appoint one of the applicants to serve
49	45		as the student trustee for the district for a one-year term expiring
50	46		May 31 of the following year.
51	47		(h) To be eligible for appointment as a student trustee for
52	48		a school district, a person must:
53	49		(1) be enrolled as a student at a high school in the
54	50		district; and
55	51		(2) be in good academic standing as determined by the
56	52		school at which the student is enrolled at the time of appointment.
57	53		(i) Throughout a student's term as a student trustee, the
58	54		student must:
59	55		(1) remain enrolled at the school; and
60	56		(2) maintain a grade point average of 2.5 on a
61	57		four-point scale, or the equivalent.
62	58		(j) The principal of the school at which a student trustee
63	59		is enrolled shall notify the president of the board of trustees of
64	60		the school district if the student trustee fails to maintain the
65	61		qualifications required by Subsection (i). On receiving notice,
66	62		the president of the board of trustees of the school district shall
67	63		declare the position as vacant and as soon as practicable fill the
68	64		vacancy in the manner prescribed by Subsection (l).
69	65		(k) A student trustee is not a member of the board of
70	66		trustees of the school district for which the student is appointed.
71	67		A student trustee has the same powers and duties as a member of the
72	68		board of trustees, including the right to attend and participate in
73	69		meetings of the board, except that the student trustee:
74	70		(1) may not vote on any matter before the board or make
75	71		or second any motion before the board; and
76	72		(2) is not counted in determining whether a quorum
77	73		exists for a meeting of the board or in determining the outcome of
78	74		any vote of the board.
79	75		(l) A vacancy in the position of student trustee for a
80	76		school district shall be filled for the unexpired term by
81	77		appointment by the president of the board of trustees of the school
82	78		district in consultation with the board.
83	79		(m) A student trustee serves without compensation but is
84	80		entitled to be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred by the
85	81		student in attending meetings of the board, subject to the approval
86	82		of the president of the board of trustees of the school district.
87	83		(n) A school district may grant to a student who fulfills
88	84		the requirements of service of a student trustee not more than one
89	85		academic course credit in a subject area determined appropriate by
90	86		the district.
91	87		SECTION 2. Section 11.0511, Education Code, is repealed.
92	88		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
93		-	* * * * *