By Luna                                         S.B. No. 1221

      75R8987 CAS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to restricting written reports required from public school

 1-3     employees.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 7.055, Education Code, is amended by

 1-6     adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

 1-7           (c)  The commissioner shall prescribe a uniform system of

 1-8     forms, reports, and records under Subsection (a)(4) in a manner

 1-9     that provides for simplifying and reducing the number and length of

1-10     the written reports the agency requires from school districts and

1-11     school district employees.

1-12           SECTION 2.  Subchapter C, Chapter 7, Education Code, is

1-13     amended by adding Section 7.058 to read as follows:

1-14           Sec. 7.058.  REVIEW OF WRITTEN REPORTS.  (a)  Biennially, the

1-15     commissioner shall conduct a comprehensive review of all the

1-16     written reports required from school districts and school district

1-17     employees in an effort to reduce the number and length of reports.

1-18           (b)  Not later than January 15 of each odd-numbered year, the

1-19     commissioner shall report to the legislature the number of written

1-20     reports required of school districts and school district employees,

1-21     the length of each of those reports, and any effort made to reduce

1-22     reporting requirements.

1-23           SECTION 3.  Subchapter I, Chapter 21, Education Code, is

1-24     amended by adding Section 21.410 to read as follows:

 2-1           Sec. 21.410.  RESTRICTING WRITTEN REPORTS.  The board of

 2-2     trustees of each school district shall adopt a policy to limit the

 2-3     number and length of written reports that a classroom teacher is

 2-4     required to prepare.  A classroom teacher may not be required to

 2-5     prepare a written report other than:

 2-6                 (1)  a report of a student's grade on a particular

 2-7     assignment or examination;

 2-8                 (2)  a report of a student's grades at the end of a

 2-9     grade reporting period;

2-10                 (3)  a textbook report;

2-11                 (4)  a brief unit or weekly lesson plan;

2-12                 (5)  an attendance report;

2-13                 (6)  a report required for accreditation review; and

2-14                 (7)  any other report specifically required by law to

2-15     be prepared by a classroom teacher.

2-16           SECTION 4.  Section 3 of this Act applies beginning with the

2-17     1997-1998 school year.

2-18           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-19     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-20     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-21     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-22     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-23     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-24     passage, and it is so enacted.