BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.B. 566
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Currently, school truancy laws are inapplicable to persons who voluntarily enroll in or attend school after their 18th birthday. Every year schools lose money due to the increasing dropout rate of these students; therefore, making truancy laws applicable to those students may decrease the dropout rate for schools.
H.B. 566 authorizes school districts to require persons who voluntarily enroll in school or voluntarily attend school after their 18th birthday to attend school until the end of the school year. The bill also makes certain truancy laws applicable to these students, but does not provide for the imposition of sanctions on the parents of these students.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to any state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 25.085, Education Code, by adding Subsection (f), as follows:
(f) Authorizes the board of trustees of a school district to adopt a policy requiring a person described by Subsection (e) (regarding a person who voluntarily enrolls in school or voluntarily attends school after the person's 18th birthday or a person who has more than 5 unexcused absenses) to attend school until the end of the school year. Provides that Section 25.094 (Failure to Attend School) applies to a person subject to a policy adopted under this subsection. Provides that Sections 25.093 (Parent Contributing to Nonattendance) and 25.095 (Warning Notice) do not apply to the parent of a person subject to a policy adopted under this subsection.
SECTION 2. Makes application of this Act prospective to the 2007-2008 school year.
SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2007.