By: Shapleigh, Nelson S.B. No. 975
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to electronic courses in public schools.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
1-5 amended by adding Section 29.903 to read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 29.903. ELECTRONIC COURSES. (a) In this section,
1-7 "electronic course" means an educational program or course:
1-8 (1) available to students primarily through the
1-9 Internet or other electronic media; and
1-10 (2) in which a student enrolled in the course is not
1-11 physically present in the classroom for all or part of the course.
1-12 (b) The commissioner shall implement a program under which a
1-13 school district may offer an electronic course to students enrolled
1-14 in the district or to students enrolled in another district, as
1-15 provided by an agreement between the districts. A district may not
1-16 require a student to enroll in an electronic course.
1-17 (c) The commissioner shall select school districts to
1-18 participate in the program based on applications submitted by the
1-19 districts. The commissioner may not require a district to
1-20 participate in the program. The commissioner may determine the
1-21 number of districts permitted to participate in the program,
1-22 provided that the commissioner shall to the extent possible permit
1-23 the participation of rural and urban districts with a higher than
1-24 average:
1-25 (1) number of at-risk students, as determined by the
2-1 commissioner; or
2-2 (2) dropout rate.
2-3 (d) A school district seeking to participate in the program
2-4 must submit a written application to the commissioner not later
2-5 than January 1 preceding the school year the district proposes to
2-6 participate in the program, or an earlier date set by the
2-7 commissioner. The application must include:
2-8 (1) a proposed budget for the program;
2-9 (2) a method to be used to verify student attendance;
2-10 (3) an accountability plan;
2-11 (4) a description of each electronic course to be
2-12 offered by the district;
2-13 (5) a description of the students expected to be
2-14 enrolled in each electronic course;
2-15 (6) any requested waiver of a requirement,
2-16 restriction, or prohibition imposed by this code or by a rule of
2-17 the State Board of Education or the commissioner; and
2-18 (7) the period for which any requested waiver under
2-19 Subdivision (6) is proposed to be in effect.
2-20 (e) The commissioner may waive any requirement, restriction,
2-21 or prohibition imposed by this code relating to the computation of
2-22 daily attendance to the extent necessary to implement a program
2-23 under this section.
2-24 (f) The commissioner may cooperate with the comptroller, the
2-25 Department of Information Resources, or any other state agency or
2-26 commission in adopting technical standards for auditing or
3-1 verifying student attendance in an electronic course.
3-2 (g) Not later than December 1, 2002, the commissioner shall
3-3 submit a report to the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the
3-4 house of representatives. The report must include:
3-5 (1) proposed methods for funding electronic courses,
3-6 including the fiscal costs or benefits of each method;
3-7 (2) available methods of verifying student attendance
3-8 in an electronic course, including biometric attendance methods;
3-9 (3) any security or privacy issues involved in
3-10 providing an electronic course;
3-11 (4) the educational benefits of an electronic course;
3-12 (5) a list of any waiver requests submitted to the
3-13 commissioner by school districts under Subsection (d)(6); and
3-14 (6) a list of any provisions waived by the
3-15 commissioner in the implementation of a program under this section.
3-16 (h) This section expires September 1, 2003.
3-17 SECTION 2. Not later than May 1, 2002, the commissioner of
3-18 education shall implement the program required by Section 29.903,
3-19 Education Code, as added by this Act.
3-20 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
3-21 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
3-22 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
3-23 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
3-24 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
3-25 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1
3-26 Amend S.B. No. 975 as follows:
4-1 (1) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Section 29.903(c),
4-2 Education Code (page 2, line 1), strike "or".
4-3 (2) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Section 29.903(c),
4-4 Education Code (page 2, line 2), strike the period and substitute
4-5 "; or".
4-6 (3) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Section 29.903(c),
4-7 Education Code (page 2, between lines 2 and 3), insert the
4-8 following:
4-9 (3) population of underserved gifted and talented
4-10 students, as determined by the commissioner.
4-11 77R13920 BDH-D Hochberg