1-1 By: West S.B. No. 704 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 14, 2001; February 15, 2001, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Education; 1-4 April 9, 2001, reported adversely, with favorable Committee 1-5 Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; April 9, 2001, 1-6 sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 704 By: Bivins 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to standardized school district dress codes. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 11, Education Code, is 1-13 amended by adding Section 11.1621 to read as follows: 1-14 Sec. 11.1621. STANDARDIZED SCHOOL DISTRICT DRESS CODES. 1-15 (a) The board of trustees of an independent school district may 1-16 adopt a standardized student dress code to: 1-17 (1) improve the learning environment in the district; 1-18 or 1-19 (2) maintain order in the district. 1-20 (b) This subsection applies only to a student who is 1-21 educationally disadvantaged and whose parent demonstrates to the 1-22 satisfaction of the district that the parent is financially unable 1-23 to purchase clothing that complies with the standardized district 1-24 dress code. A district may discipline a student for violating the 1-25 standardized dress code only if the district ensures that the 1-26 student or the student's parent can obtain, without cost to the 1-27 student or the student's parent, clothing that complies with the 1-28 standardized dress code. For that purpose, the district may: 1-29 (1) provide clothing at district expense; or 1-30 (2) arrange for a local public or private organization 1-31 to provide or pay for clothing. 1-32 (c) A decision by a board of trustees under this section 1-33 concerning the reasonableness of restrictions on student dress or a 1-34 parent's financial inability to purchase clothing that complies 1-35 with the standardized district dress code is final and may not be 1-36 appealed under Section 7.057. 1-37 (d) In this section: 1-38 (1) "Parent" includes a person standing in parental 1-39 relation. 1-40 (2) "Standardized dress code" means a dress code that 1-41 restricts a student's choice of dress to specific articles of 1-42 clothing but permits the student to choose from among several 1-43 styles and colors so that the dress code does not result in the 1-44 uniform appearance of all students. 1-45 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 1-46 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 1-47 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this 1-48 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 1-49 Act takes effect September 1, 2001. 1-50 * * * * *