By:  West                                              S.B. No. 704
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to standardized school district dress codes.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter D, Chapter 11, Education Code, is
 1-5     amended by adding Section 11.1621 to read as follows:
 1-6           Sec. 11.1621.  STANDARDIZED SCHOOL DISTRICT DRESS CODES.
 1-7     (a)  The board of trustees of an independent school district may
 1-8     adopt a standardized student dress code to:
 1-9                 (1)  improve the learning environment in the district;
1-10     or
1-11                 (2)  maintain order in the district.
1-12           (b)  This subsection applies only to a student who is
1-13     educationally disadvantaged and whose parent demonstrates to the
1-14     satisfaction of the district that the parent is financially unable
1-15     to purchase clothing that complies with the standardized district
1-16     dress code.  A district may discipline a student for violating the
1-17     standardized dress code only if the district ensures that the
1-18     student or the student's parent can obtain, without cost to the
1-19     student or the student's parent, clothing that complies with the
1-20     standardized dress code.  For that purpose, the district may:
1-21                 (1)  provide clothing at district expense; or
1-22                 (2)  arrange for a local public or private organization
1-23     to provide or pay for clothing.
1-24           (c)  A decision by a board of trustees under this section
1-25     concerning the reasonableness of restrictions on student dress or a
 2-1     parent's financial inability to purchase clothing that complies
 2-2     with the standardized district dress code is final and may not be
 2-3     appealed under Section 7.057.
 2-4           (d)  In this section:
 2-5                 (1)  "Parent" includes a person standing in parental
 2-6     relation.
 2-7                 (2)  "Standardized dress code" means a dress code that
 2-8     restricts a student's choice of dress to specific articles of
 2-9     clothing but permits the student to choose from among several
2-10     styles and colors so that the dress code does not result in the
2-11     uniform appearance of all students.
2-12           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
2-13     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-14     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-15     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-16     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.