| 1 | 1 | | By: Hughes, West S.B. No. 1144 |
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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 enrolling a public school student in a virtual |
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| 7 | 7 | | education program as an alternative to expulsion. |
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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. Subchapter A, Chapter 37, Education Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 37.0071 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 37.0071. VIRTUAL EDUCATION AS ALTERNATIVE TO |
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| 12 | 12 | | EXPULSION. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), before a |
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| 13 | 13 | | school district or open-enrollment charter school may expel a |
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| 14 | 14 | | student, the district or school shall consider as an alternative to |
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| 15 | 15 | | expulsion the appropriateness and feasibility of enrolling the |
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| 16 | 16 | | student in a full-time virtual education program through the state |
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| 17 | 17 | | virtual school network under Chapter 30A or another virtual |
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| 18 | 18 | | education program authorized by this code. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a student expelled |
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| 20 | 20 | | under Section 37.0081 or 37.007(a), (d), or (e). |
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| 21 | 21 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024 |
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| 22 | 22 | | school year. |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 24 | 24 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 25 | 25 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 26 | 26 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 27 | 27 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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