89R8105 MEW-D
By: Troxclair H.B. No. 5125
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to measures to ensure public school transparency and
accountability, including school district board of trustees
meeting requirements, posting of certain information on a public
school's Internet website, the creation of a grievance portal, and
the inclusion of a transparency and accountability domain in the
public school accountability system.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 11.0621, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 11.0621. MEETINGS. (a) The minutes, certified
agenda, or recording, as applicable, of a regular or special
meeting of the board of trustees must reflect each member's
attendance at or absence from the meeting. The minutes or tape
recording of an open meeting must be accessible to the public in
accordance with Section 551.022, Government Code.
(b) The board of trustees of a school district shall:
(1) conduct all business of the board in a public and
open manner unless the board is addressing sensitive personnel
issues or a matter required to be kept confidential by law;
(2) allow public comment at the beginning of each
regular board meeting; and
(3) address any issue raised during the public comment
period under Subdivision (2) during the same board meeting in which
the issue was raised.
SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 11, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 11.1519 to read as follows:
Sec. 11.1519. POSTING OF DISTRICT RULES, POLICIES, AND
PROCEDURES. (a) A school district shall post on the district's
Internet website in a manner easily accessible to the public each
rule, policy, and procedure applicable to students or staff adopted
by the district.
(b) A school district must update the district's Internet
website not later than the 30th day after the date on which the
district adopts or modifies a rule, policy, or procedure applicable
to students or staff.
SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 12, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 12.142 to read as follows:
Sec. 12.142. POSTING OF SCHOOL RULES, POLICIES, AND
PROCEDURES. (a) An open-enrollment charter school shall post on
the school's Internet website in a manner easily accessible to the
public each rule, policy, and procedure applicable to students or
staff adopted by the school.
(b) An open-enrollment charter school must update the
school's Internet website not later than the 30th day after the date
on which the school adopts or modifies a rule, policy, or procedure
applicable to students or staff.
SECTION 4. Chapter 26, Education Code, is amended by adding
Section 26.0115 to read as follows:
Sec. 26.0115. GRIEVANCE PORTAL. The agency shall develop
an Internet portal through which a person may file a grievance
concerning a school district or open-enrollment charter school.
The portal must allow for a person to easily:
(1) file a grievance and forward the grievance to the
appropriate district or school;
(2) track a grievance that has been filed through the
portal;
(3) access a copy of the resolution of the grievance;
and
(4) if the grievance is not resolved to the person's
satisfaction by the district or school, file an appeal with the
commissioner in accordance with Section 7.057.
SECTION 5. Subchapter C, Chapter 31, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 31.107 to read as follows:
Sec. 31.107. POSTING OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. A school
district or open-enrollment charter school shall post on the
district's or school's Internet website in an easily accessible
manner the list of instructional materials used by the district or
school for each grade level.
SECTION 6. Subchapter B, Chapter 33, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 33.028 to read as follows:
Sec. 33.028. POSTING OF LIBRARY CATALOG. A school district
or open-enrollment charter school shall post on the district's or
school's Internet website in an easily accessible manner the
catalog of available library materials at each school library in
the district or school.
SECTION 7. Section 39.053(c), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) School districts and campuses must be evaluated based on
four [three] domains of indicators of achievement adopted under
this section that include:
(1) in the student achievement domain, indicators of
student achievement that must include:
(A) for evaluating the performance of districts
and campuses generally:
(i) an indicator that accounts for the
results of assessment instruments required under Sections
39.023(a), (c), and (l), as applicable for the district and campus,
including the results of assessment instruments required for
graduation retaken by a student, aggregated across grade levels by
subject area, including:
(a) for the performance standard
determined by the commissioner under Section 39.0241(a), the
percentage of students who performed satisfactorily on the
assessment instruments, aggregated across grade levels by subject
area; and
(b) for the college readiness
performance standard as determined under Section 39.0241, the
percentage of students who performed satisfactorily on the
assessment instruments, aggregated across grade levels by subject
area; and
(ii) an indicator that accounts for the
results of assessment instruments required under Section
39.023(b), as applicable for the district and campus, including the
percentage of students who performed satisfactorily on the
assessment instruments, as determined by the performance standard
adopted by the agency, aggregated across grade levels by subject
area; and
(B) for evaluating the performance of high school
campuses and districts that include high school campuses,
indicators that account for:
(i) students who satisfy the Texas Success
Initiative (TSI) college readiness benchmarks prescribed by the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under Section 51.334 on
an assessment instrument in reading or mathematics designated by
the coordinating board under that section;
(ii) students who satisfy relevant
performance standards on advanced placement tests or similar
assessments;
(iii) students who earn dual course credits
in the dual credit courses;
(iv) students who enlist in the armed
forces of the United States or the Texas National Guard;
(v) students who earn industry
certifications;
(vi) students admitted into postsecondary
industry certification programs that require as a prerequisite for
entrance successful performance at the secondary level;
(vii) students whose successful completion
of a course or courses under Section 28.014 indicates the student's
preparation to enroll and succeed, without remediation, in an
entry-level general education course for a baccalaureate degree or
associate degree;
(viii) students who successfully met
standards on a composite of indicators that through research
indicates the student's preparation to enroll and succeed, without
remediation, in an entry-level general education course for a
baccalaureate degree or associate degree;
(ix) high school graduation rates, computed
in accordance with standards and definitions adopted in compliance
with the Every Student Succeeds Act (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.)
subject to the exclusions provided by Subsections (g), (g-1),
(g-2), (g-3), and (g-4);
(x) students who successfully completed an
OnRamps dual enrollment course;
(xi) students who successfully completed a
practicum or internship approved by the State Board of Education;
(xii) students who are awarded an associate
degree; and
(xiii) students who successfully completed
a program of study in career and technical education;
(2) in the school progress domain, indicators for
effectiveness in promoting student learning, which must include:
(A) for assessment instruments, including
assessment instruments under Subdivisions (1)(A)(i) and (ii), the
percentage of students who met the standard for improvement, as
determined by the commissioner; and
(B) for evaluating relative performance, the
performance of districts and campuses compared to similar districts
or campuses; [and]
(3) in the closing the gaps domain, the use of
disaggregated data to demonstrate the differentials among students
from different racial and ethnic groups, socioeconomic
backgrounds, and other factors, including:
(A) students formerly receiving special
education services;
(B) students continuously enrolled; and
(C) students who are mobile; and
(4) in the transparency and accountability domain,
indicators for effectiveness in promoting transparency and
accountability with respect to district or campus operations.
SECTION 8. Section 39.301(d), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(d) Performance on the indicators described by Sections
39.053(c)(1), (2), and (3) [Section 39.053(c)] and Subsections
(c)(3), (4), and (9) of this section must be based on longitudinal
student data that is disaggregated by the bilingual education or
special language program, if any, in which emergent bilingual
students, as defined by Section 29.052, are or former emergent
bilingual students were enrolled. If a student described by this
subsection is not or was not enrolled in specialized language
instruction, the number and percentage of those students shall be
provided.
SECTION 9. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026
school year.
SECTION 10. This Act takes effect immediately if it
receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2025.