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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to excused absences from public school for certain |
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students to visit a professional's workplace for a career |
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investigation day. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 25.087, Education Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsection (b-8) and amending Subsection (d) to read as |
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follows: |
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(b-8) A school district may excuse a student from attending |
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school for a career investigation day to visit a professional at the |
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professional's workplace during the student's junior and senior |
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years of high school for the purpose of determining the student's |
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interest in pursuing a career in the professional's field, provided |
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that: |
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(1) the district may not excuse for this purpose more |
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than two days during the student's junior year and two days during |
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the student's senior year; and |
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(2) the district adopts: |
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(A) a policy to determine when an absence may be |
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excused for this purpose; and |
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(B) a procedure to verify that the student's |
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visit at the professional's workplace did occur. |
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(d) A student whose absence is excused under Subsection (b), |
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(b-1), (b-2), (b-4), (b-5), (b-8), or (c) may not be penalized for |
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that absence and shall be counted as if the student attended school |
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for purposes of calculating the average daily attendance of |
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students in the school district. A student whose absence is excused |
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under Subsection (b), (b-1), (b-2), (b-4), (b-5), (b-8), or (c) |
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shall be allowed a reasonable time to make up school work missed on |
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those days. If the student satisfactorily completes the school |
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work, the day of absence shall be counted as a day of compulsory |
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attendance. |
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SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022 |
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school year. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect January 1, 2022. |