Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB218 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R1374 MEW-F
2	2	By: West S.B. No. 218
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to requiring the board of trustees of each school district
10	10	to create a nonvoting student trustee position on the board.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 11, Education Code, is
13	13	amended by adding Section 11.0512 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 11.0512. STUDENT TRUSTEE. (a) In addition to the
15	15	number of trustees of a school district as provided by Section
16	16	11.051, the board of trustees of each school district shall appoint
17	17	a student trustee in the manner provided by this section.
18	18	(b) The commissioner shall develop a uniform application
19	19	form to be used to solicit eligible applicants for the position of
20	20	student trustee.
21	21	(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), the principal of
22	22	each high school in a school district shall:
23	23	(1) not later than November 1 of each year, solicit
24	24	applicants for appointment to the next regular term of the position
25	25	of student trustee of the school district using the uniform
26	26	application form developed under Subsection (b);
27	27	(2) not later than January 1, select three applicants
28	28	from the applications received to serve as the school's
29	29	recommendations for the position of student trustee; and
30	30	(3) send the school's recommendations and
31	31	corresponding applications to the president of the board of
32	32	trustees of the school district.
33	33	(d) If a school district includes more than one high school,
34	34	the principal of the high school at which a current student trustee
35	35	is enrolled at the time of the student's appointment may not solicit
36	36	applicants for the position of student trustee for the next regular
37	37	term of the position.
38	38	(e) The president of the board of trustees of each school
39	39	district shall select two or more applicants from the applications
40	40	received to serve as recommendations to the board for the student
41	41	trustee position.
42	42	(f) The board of trustees of a school district may request
43	43	to review all applications for the position of student trustee
44	44	received by the board president and may request an applicant to
45	45	submit additional information.
46	46	(g) On June 1, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the
47	47	board by majority vote shall appoint one of the applicants to serve
48	48	as the student trustee for the district for a one-year term expiring
49	49	May 31 of the following year.
50	50	(h) To be eligible for appointment as a student trustee for
51	51	a school district, a person must:
52	52	(1) be enrolled as a student at a high school in the
53	53	district; and
54	54	(2) be in good academic standing as determined by the
55	55	school at which the student is enrolled at the time of appointment.
56	56	(i) Throughout a student's term as a student trustee, the
57	57	student must:
58	58	(1) remain enrolled at the school; and
59	59	(2) maintain a grade point average of 2.5 on a
60	60	four-point scale, or the equivalent.
61	61	(j) The principal of the school at which a student trustee
62	62	is enrolled shall notify the president of the board of trustees of
63	63	the school district if the student trustee fails to maintain the
64	64	qualifications required by Subsection (i). On receiving notice,
65	65	the president of the board of trustees of the school district shall
66	66	declare the position as vacant and as soon as practicable fill the
67	67	vacancy in the manner prescribed by Subsection (l).
68	68	(k) A student trustee is not a member of the board of
69	69	trustees of the school district for which the student is appointed.
70	70	A student trustee has the same powers and duties as a member of the
71	71	board of trustees, including the right to attend and participate in
72	72	meetings of the board, except that the student trustee:
73	73	(1) may not vote on any matter before the board or make
74	74	or second any motion before the board; and
75	75	(2) is not counted in determining whether a quorum
76	76	exists for a meeting of the board or in determining the outcome of
77	77	any vote of the board.
78	78	(l) A vacancy in the position of student trustee for a
79	79	school district shall be filled for the unexpired term by
80	80	appointment by the president of the board of trustees of the school
81	81	district in consultation with the board.
82	82	(m) A student trustee serves without compensation but is
83	83	entitled to be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred by the
84	84	student in attending meetings of the board, subject to the approval
85	85	of the president of the board of trustees of the school district.
86	86	(n) A school district may grant to a student who fulfills
87	87	the requirements of service of a student trustee not more than one
88	88	academic course credit in a subject area determined appropriate by
89	89	the district.
90	90	SECTION 2. Section 11.0511, Education Code, is repealed.
91	91	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.