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Senate Bill 119 |
Senate Author: Rodriguez |
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Effective: 6-14-13 |
House Sponsor: Marquez et al. |
Senate Bill 119 amends the Education Code to authorize the commissioner of education to require a school district with a student enrollment of at least 60,000 located in a county on the international border with a population of 800,000 or more to operate a special student recovery program if the commissioner has imposed a sanction based on a determination that the district, for the purpose of affecting an applicable performance rating or distinction designation, has: assigned a student to a grade level to which the student would not otherwise be assigned or retained a student at a grade level at which the student would not otherwise be retained, in violation of local policy; declined to admit a student with limited English proficiency who was eligible for admission; or encouraged a student who was eligible for admission to enroll in another district or to drop out of school. The bill makes the program's operation in such a district mandatory if the district superintendent or assistant superintendent or a principal or an assistant principal of a district campus is convicted of or receives a grant of deferred adjudication or community supervision for an offense associated with conduct precipitating such a sanction.
Senate Bill 119 sets out certain program requirements, authorizes a school district to use compensatory education allotment funding to pay the program's costs, and authorizes the provision of instructional services to students identified as having been affected by the district's misconduct using either compensatory education allotment funds or other Foundation School Program funds. The bill requires the commissioner to determine the program's duration, with a required minimum duration of two years, and requires the district, before a program may be concluded, to conduct a public hearing to solicit comments regarding whether there is a continuing need for the program. The bill's provisions expire September 1, 2018.