BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 975
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The original legislative intent of Chapter 37, Education Code, was to remove students who exhibited criminal behavior from the classroom and place them in a supervised environment to continue their education. Quality education in disciplinary alternative education programs is essential to ensuring that students placed in these programs are able to return to the classroom with minimal disruption in their education. Accordingly, the state's accountability system aims to ensure quality educational standards for students.
In most all instances in the state, the school placing the student in disciplinary alternative education program is responsible for providing coursework for the student at the off-campus placement. As proposed, S.B. 975 duplicates language currently found in Section 37.012 concerning Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs. In effect, the amending language ensures that Chapter 39 accountability laws are applied to the school that is responsible for the student's academic progress. Current Texas Education Agency rules provide an inconsistent message to schools and school districts about how disciplinary alternative education program students should be handled in regards to the state's accountability tests. This bill clarifies that a student's Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) score must be attributed to the home sending campus.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 37.008, Education Code, by adding Subsection (n) to provide that for the purposes of accountability under Chapter 39 (Public School System Accountability), a student placed in a disciplinary alternative education program is reported as if the student were enrolled at the student's assigned campus in the student's regularly assigned education program, including a special education program.
SECTION 2. Makes application of this Act prospective to the 2005-2006 school year.
SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2005.