By: Bhojani H.B. No. 1883
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the administration of assessment instruments on
religious holy days.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 39.023(c-3), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(c-3) Except as provided by Subsection (c-7) or as otherwise
provided by this subsection, in adopting a schedule for the
administration of assessment instruments under this section, the
State Board of Education shall ensure that assessment instruments
administered under Subsection (a) or (c) are not administered on
the first instructional day of a week or on a religious holy day
including All Saints Day, Christmas, Diwali, Eid al-Adha, Eid
al-Fitr, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Vaisakhi, Vesak, and Yom Kippur.
On request by a school district or open-enrollment charter school,
the commissioner may allow the district or school to administer an
assessment instrument required under Subsection (a) or (c) on the
first instructional day of a week if administering the assessment
instrument on another instructional day would result in a
significant administrative burden due to specific local
conditions.
SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024
school year.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2023.