Senate Bill 546 (“SB 546”) was passed in the 89th Legislative Session for the purpose of requiring each bus operated by or contracted for use by a school district for the transportation of schoolchildren to be equipped with a three-point seat belt for each passenger, including the operator. The only exceptions are if the board […]
Read moreSenate Bill 11 Senate Bill 11 (“SB 11”) was passed in the 89th Legislative Session for the purpose of allowing districts to adopt a policy requiring every campus to allow students and staff to participate in a period of prayer and reading of religious texts (commonly referred to as the “Daily Prayer Period”). Parents would […]
Read moreSB 13 created a number of requirements regarding the acquisition, retention, and elimination of library materials as well as defining the role of parents and the School Library Advisory Council in those processes. In keeping with this update’s theme of parental rights, this section will focus on parent’s rights regarding library materials. Parents now have […]
Read moreTex. Educ. Code §33.0815(c) requires that a “school district or open-enrollment charter school must require the written consent of the parent of or person standing in parental relation to a student enrolled in the district or school before the student may participate in a student club authorized or sponsored under Subsection (a) at the district […]
Read moreAs you are all aware, SB 12 requires districts to provide parents notice of what routine health services are offered at the campus the student attends. This notice is required to be provided either at the beginning of the year or upon the student’s enrollment in the district. In this notice, parents are given the […]
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HB 1522, passed this summer, requires that meetings taking place after September 1, 2025, conform with new posting timelines. Previously, school board meetings had to be posted within 72 hours from the time of the meeting. The new law requires that “The notice of a meeting of a governmental body must be posted in a […]
Read moreOn August 15 and August 18, 2025, the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, heard oral arguments regarding a preliminary injunction being sought to prevent defendant districts from complying with a provision of S.B. 10. Specifically, the challenged provision requires all Texas public school classrooms to display S.B. […]
Read moreby Mattie Tullos, Law Clerk Effective September 1, 2023, the recently passed House Bill 3033 will alter the processes and procedures surrounding the Public Information Act, most notably regarding how to count the days following a public information request. As the bill reads currently, a governmental body that receives an information request must respond to […]
Read moreThe 86th Legislature was hard at work this year drafting and pushing bills affecting school districts across Texas. One such bill you should be aware of may affect the way school districts handle the all too familiar Public Information Act request. Senate Bill 944 is effective September 1, 2019 and makes several changes to the […]
Read moreHouse Bill 674 (“HB 674”) has two parts: it adds Texas Education Code (“TEC”) § 37.005(c), which prohibits out-of-school suspension (“OSS”) for students below 3rd grade, with some exceptions; and it adds TEC § 37.0013, POSITIVE BEHAVIOR PROGRAM, which authorizes districts to create new disciplinary alternatives for students below 3rd grade who engage in conduct […]
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