By:  West                                             S.B. No. 1356

         Line and page numbers may not match official copy.

         Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to reporting of information relating to expulsions and

 1-2     placements in alternative education programs.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Chapter 37, Education Code, is amended by adding

 1-5     Section 37.020 to read as follows:

 1-6           Section 37.020.  REPORTS TO COMMISSIONER.  Each school

 1-7     district shall annually report the following information to the

 1-8     commissioner of education in a manner directed by the commissioner:

 1-9           (a)  Information identifying each student placed in an

1-10     alternative education program under Section 37.008, including

1-11     personally identifiable information, such as but not limited to

1-12     race, gender and date of birth, which will enable the agency to

1-13     correlate placement data with information collected through other

1-14     reports;

1-15           (b)  For each placement in an alternative education program,

1-16     information indicating whether the student was placed in the

1-17     program based on:

1-18                 (1)  conduct which violates the district's student code

1-19     of conduct adopted under Section 37.001;

1-20                 (2)  conduct of which a student may be placed in an

1-21     alternative education program under Section 37.002(b);

 2-1                 (3)  conduct for which placement in an alternative

 2-2     education program is required by Section 37.006; or

 2-3                 (4)  conduct occurring while a student was enrolled in

 2-4     another district and for which placement in an alternative

 2-5     education program is authorized by Section 37.008(j).

 2-6           (c)  For each student placed in an alternative education

 2-7     program under Section 37.008, the number of days the student was

 2-8     assigned to the program and the number of days the student was in

 2-9     attendance at the program.

2-10           (d)  Information identifying each student expelled under

2-11     Section 37.007, including personally identifiable information, such

2-12     as but not limited to race, gender, and date of birth, which will

2-13     enable the agency to correlate expulsion data with information

2-14     collected through other reports;

2-15           (e)  For each expulsion, information indicating whether the

2-16     student was expelled based on:

2-17                 (1)  conduct for which expulsion is required by Section

2-18     37.007;

2-19                 (2)  conduct for which expulsion is authorized, but not

2-20     required, by Section 37.007;

2-21                 (3)  serious or persistent misconduct occurring while

2-22     the student was placed in an alternative education program.

2-23           (f)  For each expelled student, the number of days each

2-24     expulsion was effective;

2-25           (g)  Information indicating the placement of each student

 3-1     upon expulsion including information indicating whether:

 3-2                 (1)  the student was placed in a juvenile justice

 3-3     alternative education program;

 3-4                 (2)  the student was placed in an educational program

 3-5     other than a juvenile justice alternative education program; or

 3-6                 (3)  the student was not placed in an educational

 3-7     program.

 3-8           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect beginning with the

 3-9     1997-1998 school year.

3-10           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

3-11     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-12     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

3-13     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-14     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

3-15     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

3-16     passage, and it is so enacted.