1-1     By:  Harris                                           S.B. No. 1154

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 11, 1997; March 17, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 7, 1997,

 1-4     reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 0; April 7, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1154                  By:  Bivins

 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to adopting and amending a student code of conduct in

1-10     public schools.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Section 37.001, Education Code, is amended to

1-13     read as follows:

1-14           Sec. 37.001.  Student Code of Conduct.  (a)  The board of

1-15     trustees of an independent [Each] school district shall, with the

1-16     advice of its district-level committee established under Section

1-17     11.251, and jointly, as appropriate, with the juvenile board of

1-18     each county in which the district is located, adopt a student code

1-19     of conduct for the district.  In addition to establishing standards

1-20     for student conduct, the student code of conduct must:

1-21                 (1)  specify the circumstances, in accordance with this

1-22     subchapter, under which a student may be removed from a classroom,

1-23     campus, or alternative education program;

1-24                 (2)  outline the responsibilities of each juvenile

1-25     board concerning the establishment and operation of a juvenile

1-26     justice alternative education program under Section 37.011;

1-27                 (3)  define the conditions on payments from the

1-28     district to each juvenile board;

1-29                 (4)  specify conditions that authorize or require a

1-30     principal or other appropriate administrator to transfer a student

1-31     to an alternative education program; and

1-32                 (5)  outline conditions under which a student may be

1-33     suspended as provided by Section 37.005 or expelled as provided by

1-34     Section 37.007.

1-35           (b)  A teacher with knowledge that a student has violated the

1-36     student code of conduct shall file with the school principal or the

1-37     other appropriate administrator a written report, not to exceed one

1-38     page, documenting the violation.  The principal or the other

1-39     appropriate administrator shall, not later than 24 hours after

1-40     receipt of a report from a teacher, send a copy of the report to

1-41     the student's parents or guardians.

1-42           (c)  Once the student code of conduct is promulgated, any

1-43     change or amendment must be approved by the board of trustees or

1-44     the superintendent, provided that the board has authorized the

1-45     superintendent to do so.

1-46           (d)  Each school district shall adopt a student code of

1-47     conduct as required by this section not later than September 1,

1-48     1996.  This subsection expires September 1, 1997.

1-49           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-50     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-51     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-52     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-53     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-54     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-55     passage, and it is so enacted.

1-56                                  * * * * *