BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

                                                                                                                                            S.B. 1494

                                                                                                                                              By: Ellis

                                                                                                                                 Public Education

                                                                                                       Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Under current law, a school district is not required to notify parents when a school campus does not have a full-time nurse on duty.  In the 2005-2006 school year, there were 7,956 school campuses in Texas, according to the Texas Education Agency.  Only 5,304 of these school campuses had full-time nurses on duty.

 

This bill requires school principals to notify parents of students if the school does not have a full-time nurse on campus for more than 30 consecutive school days beginning with the 2007-2008 school year.  The bill requires that the notice be in writing and be provided within 30 school days after the first day the school does not have a full-time nurse.  The bill requires the school to make a good faith effort to provide a bilingual form of the notice to any parent whose primary language is not English and to retain a copy of the notice.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. 

 

ANALYSIS

 

This bill relates to a notification requirement if a nurse is not assigned to a public school campus.

 

The bill amends Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, by adding Section 38.021 to provide that a public school that does not have a full-time school nurse assigned to the campus for more than 30 consecutive instructional days during the same school year shall provide written notice of the absence of a nurse to the parent of or other person standing in parental relation to each student enrolled in the school.  The principal of the school shall provide the required notice not later than the 30th instructional day after the first day the school does not have a full-time school nurse assigned to the campus.  The school shall:  make a good faith effort to ensure that the required notice is provided in a bilingual form to any parent or other person standing in parental relation whose primary language is not English; and retain a copy of any such notice provided.

 

The bill provides that the Act applies beginning with the 2007-2008 school year.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2007.