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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to an attendance policy adopted by public schools to |
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prevent truancy. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 25.0916 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 25.0916. ATTENDANCE POLICY. (a) In this section, |
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"parent" includes a person standing in parental relation. |
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(b) The board of trustees of each school district and the |
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governing body of each open-enrollment charter school shall adopt |
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and implement an attendance policy to: |
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(1) inform students and parents regarding the |
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importance of regular attendance; and |
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(2) provide appropriate supports to students who fail |
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to regularly attend school. |
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(c) An attendance policy adopted under this section must: |
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(1) describe the benefits of regular attendance; |
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(2) describe the consequences of failing to regularly |
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attend school, including the negative effects on: |
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(A) a student's academic progress; and |
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(B) a student and the student's family as a |
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result of referral to a truancy court for truant conduct under |
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Section 65.003(a), Family Code; |
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(3) provide for a parent of a student enrolled in the |
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district or school to elect to receive notifications of the |
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student's absence from school for a day or part of a day, regardless |
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of whether the student's absence is excused or unexcused, through: |
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(A) e-mail or text message, if the district or |
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school has the capability to send notifications through those |
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methods; or |
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(B) first class mail, if the district or school |
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does not have the capability to send notifications as provided by |
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Paragraph (A); |
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(4) provide for a meeting between a parent of a student |
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enrolled in the district or school and a school counselor, |
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principal, or appropriate administrator when the student becomes at |
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risk for engaging in truant conduct under Section 65.003, Family |
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Code, as provided by the policy, to discuss the student's behavior |
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and any conditions at the student's home that may be contributing to |
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the student's failure to attend school; |
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(5) if a parent of a student enrolled in the district |
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or school fails to attend a meeting described by Subdivision (4), |
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authorize the school attendance officer to make a home visit or |
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otherwise contact the parent in the manner described by Section |
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25.091 to investigate the student's behavior and living conditions |
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and report the attendance officer's findings to the district or |
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school; and |
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(6) establish guidelines to identify a student in need |
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of additional support and to refer the student to in-school or |
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out-of-school services aimed at addressing the student's failure to |
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regularly attend school. |
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(d) At the beginning of each school year, each school |
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district or open-enrollment charter school shall provide a copy of |
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the attendance policy adopted under this section to the parent of |
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each student enrolled in the district or school. |
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SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024 |
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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 September 1, 2023. |