| 1 | 1 | | S.B. No. 68 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to excused absences from public school for certain |
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| 6 | 6 | | students to visit a professional's workplace for a career |
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| 7 | 7 | | investigation day. |
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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. Section 25.087, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 10 | 10 | | adding Subsection (b-8) and amending Subsection (d) to read as |
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| 11 | 11 | | follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (b-8) A school district may excuse a student from attending |
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| 13 | 13 | | school for a career investigation day to visit a professional at the |
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| 14 | 14 | | professional's workplace during the student's junior and senior |
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| 15 | 15 | | years of high school for the purpose of determining the student's |
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| 16 | 16 | | interest in pursuing a career in the professional's field, provided |
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| 17 | 17 | | that: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) the district may not excuse for this purpose more |
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| 19 | 19 | | than two days during the student's junior year and two days during |
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| 20 | 20 | | the student's senior year; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) the district adopts: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (A) a policy to determine when an absence may be |
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| 23 | 23 | | excused for this purpose; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (B) a procedure to verify the student's visit at |
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| 25 | 25 | | the professional's workplace. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (d) A student whose absence is excused under Subsection (b), |
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| 27 | 27 | | (b-1), (b-2), (b-4), (b-5), (b-7), (b-8), or (c) may not be |
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| 28 | 28 | | penalized for that absence and shall be counted as if the student |
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| 29 | 29 | | attended school for purposes of calculating the average daily |
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| 30 | 30 | | attendance of students in the school district. A student whose |
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| 31 | 31 | | absence is excused under Subsection (b), (b-1), (b-2), (b-4), |
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| 32 | 32 | | (b-5), (b-7), (b-8), or (c) shall be allowed a reasonable time to |
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| 33 | 33 | | make up school work missed on those days. If the student |
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| 34 | 34 | | satisfactorily completes the school work, the day of absence shall |
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| 35 | 35 | | be counted as a day of compulsory attendance. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024 |
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| 37 | 37 | | school year. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 39 | 39 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 40 | 40 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 41 | 41 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 42 | 42 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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| 43 | 43 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 44 | 44 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 45 | 45 | | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 68 passed the Senate on |
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| 46 | 46 | | April 20, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 47 | 47 | | ______________________________ |
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| 48 | 48 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 49 | 49 | | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 68 passed the House on |
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| 50 | 50 | | May 11, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 139, Nays 4, two |
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| 51 | 51 | | present not voting. |
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| 52 | 52 | | ______________________________ |
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| 53 | 53 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 54 | 54 | | Approved: |
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| 55 | 55 | | ______________________________ |
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| 56 | 56 | | Date |
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| 57 | 57 | | ______________________________ |
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| 58 | 58 | | Governor |
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