1-1 By: Gutierrez (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) H.B. No. 106 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 25, 2001; 1-3 April 26, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Education; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 6, Nays 1; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to restricting written reports required of public school 1-9 classroom teachers. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Subchapter I, Chapter 21, Education Code, is 1-12 amended by adding Section 21.411 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 21.411. RESTRICTING WRITTEN REPORTS. (a) The board of 1-14 trustees of each school district shall adopt a policy to limit 1-15 redundant requests for information and the number and length of 1-16 written reports that a classroom teacher is required to prepare. 1-17 Except as provided by Subsection (b), a classroom teacher may not 1-18 be required to prepare a written report other than: 1-19 (1) a report of a student's grade on a particular 1-20 assignment or examination; 1-21 (2) a report of a student's grades at the end of a 1-22 grade reporting period; 1-23 (3) a textbook report; 1-24 (4) a unit or weekly lesson plan report that outlines, 1-25 in a brief and general manner, the information to be presented 1-26 during each period at the secondary level or in each subject or 1-27 topic at the elementary level; 1-28 (5) an attendance report; 1-29 (6) a report required for accreditation review; 1-30 (7) any other report specifically required by law or 1-31 State Board of Education rule to be prepared by a classroom 1-32 teacher; or 1-33 (8) any other report directly related to the 1-34 professional duties of the classroom teacher. 1-35 (b) If information is required under federal or state law, 1-36 regulation, or rule and the only reasonable manner in which to 1-37 collect the information is with the direct involvement of a 1-38 classroom teacher, the teacher may be required to provide the 1-39 information. 1-40 (c) The board of trustees shall review paperwork 1-41 requirements imposed on classroom teachers and shall transfer to 1-42 existing noninstructional staff a reporting task that can 1-43 reasonably be accomplished by that staff. 1-44 (d) This section does not preclude a school district from 1-45 collecting essential information, in addition to information 1-46 specified under Subsection (a) or (b), from a classroom teacher if: 1-47 (1) participation is entirely at the discretion of the 1-48 teacher and the school district does not directly or indirectly 1-49 coerce the teacher to participate; 1-50 (2) the decision not to participate is not held 1-51 against the teacher; and 1-52 (3) the commissioner promptly investigates any 1-53 allegation of the misuse of voluntary information-gathering 1-54 procedures that burdens a teacher and circumvents compliance with 1-55 the statutory intent for paperwork reduction. 1-56 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately and applies 1-57 beginning with the 2001-2002 school year. 1-58 * * * * *