| 1 | 1 | | 88R6933 JTZ-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Menéndez S.B. No. 1157 |
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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 social workers employed by school districts. |
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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 Z, Chapter 33, Education Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 33.905 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 33.905. SOCIAL WORKERS. (a) In this section, "school |
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| 12 | 12 | | social work services" means services specialized to assist students |
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| 13 | 13 | | and families and designed to alleviate barriers to learning, |
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| 14 | 14 | | connect the home, the community, and the school, advocate for the |
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| 15 | 15 | | best interest and academic success of students, strengthen |
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| 16 | 16 | | relationships, and assist with basic and biopsychosocial needs. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) A social worker employed by a school district: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) shall: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (A) collaborate with district administrators and |
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| 20 | 20 | | other district professionals to enhance students' learning |
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| 21 | 21 | | environments; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (B) as appropriate, serve on district committees |
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| 23 | 23 | | that address education and safety issues for students; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (C) collaborate with parents, teachers, district |
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| 25 | 25 | | administrators, and the community to develop and implement school |
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| 26 | 26 | | violence prevention, suicide prevention, and child abuse |
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| 27 | 27 | | identification strategies; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) may provide: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (A) school social work services to students and |
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| 30 | 30 | | families in the district; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (B) behavioral health referrals and group |
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| 32 | 32 | | intervention services as needed. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (c) The board of trustees of a school district may adopt a |
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| 34 | 34 | | policy that requires a social worker employed by the district to |
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| 35 | 35 | | spend at least 80 percent of the social worker's total work time on |
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| 36 | 36 | | duties described by this section. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024 |
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| 38 | 38 | | school year. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 40 | 40 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 41 | 41 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 42 | 42 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 43 | 43 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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