| 1 | 1 | | 89R2577 PRL-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Rosenthal H.B. No. 367 |
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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 verification of excused absences from public school for |
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| 10 | 10 | | students with severe or life-threatening illnesses. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 25.087, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (g) to read as |
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| 14 | 14 | | follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) A school district shall excuse a student from attending |
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| 16 | 16 | | school for: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) the following purposes, including travel for those |
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| 18 | 18 | | purposes: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (A) observing religious holy days; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (B) attending a required court appearance; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (C) appearing at a governmental office to |
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| 22 | 22 | | complete paperwork required in connection with the student's |
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| 23 | 23 | | application for United States citizenship; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (D) taking part in a United States naturalization |
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| 25 | 25 | | oath ceremony; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (E) serving as an election clerk; or |
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| 27 | 27 | | (F) if the student is in the conservatorship of |
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| 28 | 28 | | the Department of Family and Protective Services, participating, as |
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| 29 | 29 | | determined and documented by the department, in an activity: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (i) ordered by a court under Chapter 262 or |
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| 31 | 31 | | 263, Family Code, provided that it is not practicable to schedule |
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| 32 | 32 | | the participation outside of school hours; or |
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| 33 | 33 | | (ii) required under a service plan under |
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| 34 | 34 | | Subchapter B, Chapter 263, Family Code; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (2) a temporary absence resulting from an appointment |
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| 36 | 36 | | with health care professionals for the student or the student's |
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| 37 | 37 | | child if the student commences classes or returns to school on the |
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| 38 | 38 | | same day of the appointment; or |
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| 39 | 39 | | (3) an absence resulting from a serious or |
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| 40 | 40 | | life-threatening illness or related treatment that makes the |
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| 41 | 41 | | student's attendance infeasible, if the student or the student's |
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| 42 | 42 | | parent or guardian provides on a form adopted by the district under |
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| 43 | 43 | | Subsection (g) a certification from a physician licensed to |
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| 44 | 44 | | practice medicine in this state specifying the following |
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| 45 | 45 | | information, as determined by the physician: |
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| 46 | 46 | | (A) the student's illness; |
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| 47 | 47 | | (B) a statement that the illness is serious or |
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| 48 | 48 | | life-threatening; |
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| 49 | 49 | | (C) [and] the anticipated period of the student's |
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| 50 | 50 | | absence relating to the illness or related treatment; and |
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| 51 | 51 | | (D) a statement that the illness makes the |
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| 52 | 52 | | student's attendance infeasible during the anticipated period of |
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| 53 | 53 | | absence described by Paragraph (C). |
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| 54 | 54 | | (g) For purposes of excusing a student with a serious or |
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| 55 | 55 | | life-threatening illness from attending school under Subsection |
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| 56 | 56 | | (b)(3), a school district: |
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| 57 | 57 | | (1) shall adopt a form to provide the certification |
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| 58 | 58 | | described by that subsection; and |
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| 59 | 59 | | (2) may not require the student or the student's parent |
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| 60 | 60 | | or guardian to provide more documentation or information than is |
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| 61 | 61 | | required by the form adopted under Subdivision (1). |
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| 62 | 62 | | SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 63 | 63 | | of this Act, each school district shall adopt the form required by |
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| 64 | 64 | | Section 25.087(g), Education Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 65 | 65 | | SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026 |
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| 66 | 66 | | school year. |
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| 67 | 67 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 68 | 68 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 69 | 69 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 70 | 70 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 71 | 71 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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