BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

                                                                                                                                            S.B. 1792

                                                                                                                                      By: Whitmire

                                                                                                                                 Public Education

                                                                                                       Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Currently, school districts do not provide a comprehensive education component to educate students on what constitutes inappropriate conduct by an adult.

 

This bill requires the essential knowledge and skills for health courses to provide for age-appropriate curricula on knowledge and skills related to personal safety and recognizing and reporting inappropriate conduct by an adult, including verbal comments, physical contact, photography, and online communications.

 

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 including knowledge and skills related to personal safety among the essential knowledge and skills required for public school health courses.

 

The bill amends Section 28.002, Education Code, by adding Subsection (q) to provide that the essential knowledge and skills for health courses must include, at appropriate grade levels, knowledge and skills related to personal safety and to recognizing and reporting inappropriate conduct by an adult towards a student, including inappropriate verbal comments, physical contact, photography, and online communications.  In identifying such essential knowledge and skills, the State Board of Education shall consult the Texas School  Safety Center in addition to the participants described by Subsection (c) of Section 28.002, Education Code.

 

The bill provides that, not later than March 1, 2008, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Texas School Safety Center, shall identify the knowledge and skills related to personal safety to include among the essential knowledge and skills required for health courses, as provided by Subsection (q), Section 28.002, Education Code, as added by this bill.  A school district or open-enrollment charter school shall provide instruction in the knowledge and skills beginning with the 2008-2009 school year.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

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