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House Bill 3678 |
House Author: Howard, Charlie et al. |
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Effective: 6-8-07 |
Senate Sponsor: Williams et al. |
House Bill 3678 amends the Education Code to require that a school district, beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, adopt and implement a local policy that provides for a limited public forum and voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints at school events and graduation ceremonies, in class assignments, and in noncurricular school groups and activities. The bill requires the district to treat such expression on an otherwise permissible subject in the same manner as the expression of a secular or other viewpoint and prohibits the district from discriminating against a student based on his or her expressed religious viewpoint. The policy must require the district to ensure that a student speaker does not engage in obscene or indecent speech and to provide a disclaimer that a student's speech is not endorsed or sponsored by the district. The bill provides a model policy that, if adopted, would place the district in compliance with these requirements.