| 1 | 1 | | 89R12817 RDR-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Allen H.B. No. 2849 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to policies on the recess period in public schools. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Sections 28.0045 and 28.0046 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 28.0045. MODEL RECESS POLICIES. The Department of |
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| 14 | 14 | | State Health Services School Health Advisory Committee established |
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| 15 | 15 | | under Section 1001.0711, Health and Safety Code, shall develop |
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| 16 | 16 | | model policies for the recess period during the school day that |
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| 17 | 17 | | encourage constructive, age-appropriate outdoor playtime. The |
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| 18 | 18 | | model policies must include guidelines for outdoor equipment and |
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| 19 | 19 | | facilities on public school campuses that maximize the |
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| 20 | 20 | | effectiveness of outdoor physical activity. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Sec. 28.0046. RECESS POLICY. (a) The board of trustees of |
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| 22 | 22 | | each school district shall: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) after reviewing the model recess policies |
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| 24 | 24 | | developed under Section 28.0045 and the policy recommendations of |
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| 25 | 25 | | the local school health advisory council provided under Section |
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| 26 | 26 | | 28.004(l), adopt a recess policy based on those model policies and |
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| 27 | 27 | | recommendations; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) review and, if necessary, revise the recess policy |
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| 29 | 29 | | at least every five years. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (b) The recess policy must specify: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (1) the required number of minutes of weekly |
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| 32 | 32 | | unstructured playtime; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) whether a student's recess time may be withheld as |
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| 34 | 34 | | a form of student discipline. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (c) Each school district campus subject to the district |
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| 36 | 36 | | recess policy adopted under Subsection (a) shall implement the |
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| 37 | 37 | | recess policy. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 2. (a) Not later than January 1, 2026, the |
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| 39 | 39 | | Department of State Health Services School Health Advisory |
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| 40 | 40 | | Committee shall develop model recess policies as required by |
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| 41 | 41 | | Section 28.0045, Education Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (b) Not later than May 1, 2026, the board of trustees of each |
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| 43 | 43 | | school district shall adopt a recess policy as required by Section |
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| 44 | 44 | | 28.0046, Education Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (c) Not later than the beginning of the 2026-2027 school |
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| 46 | 46 | | year, each school district campus subject to a school district |
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| 47 | 47 | | recess policy adopted under Section 28.0046, Education Code, as |
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| 48 | 48 | | added by this Act, shall implement the adopted policy. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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