By: West S.B. No. 1470
(In the Senate - Filed March 13, 2003; March 20, 2003, read
first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 24, 2003,
reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0;
April 24, 2003, sent to printer.)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to eligibility to participate in a high school equivalency
program operated by a school district or open-enrollment charter
school.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subsection (d), Section 29.087, Education Code,
as added by Chapter 1514, Acts of the 77th Legislature, Regular
Session, 2001, is amended to read as follows:
(d) A student is eligible to participate in a program
authorized by this section if:
(1) the student has been ordered by a court under
Article 45.054, Code of Criminal Procedure, as added by Chapter
1514, Acts of the 77th Legislature, Regular Session, 2001, to:
(A) participate in a preparatory class for the
high school equivalency examination; or
(B) take the high school equivalency examination
administered under Section 7.111; or
(2) the following conditions are satisfied:
(A) the student is at least 16 years of age at the
beginning of the school year or semester;
(B) the student is a student at risk of dropping
out of school, as defined by Section 29.081;
(C) the student and the student's parent or
guardian agree in writing to the student's participation;
(D) at least two school years have elapsed since
the student first enrolled in ninth grade and the student has
accumulated less than one half [quarter] of the credits required to
graduate under the minimum graduation requirements of the district
or school; and
(E) any other conditions specified by the
commissioner.
SECTION 2. Subsection (o), Section 29.087, Education Code,
as added by Chapter 1514, Acts of the 77th Legislature, Regular
Session, 2001, is repealed.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2003.
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