| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to policies concerning the use of school counselors' work |
|
|
time in certain school districts. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 33.006, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: |
|
|
(c) This subsection applies only to a school district that |
|
|
has a student enrollment of more than 1,000 at the beginning of a |
|
|
school year. In accordance with rules adopted by the commissioner, |
|
|
the board of trustees of each school district to which this section |
|
|
applies shall adopt a policy that requires a counselor to spend not |
|
|
more than 10 percent of the counselor's total work time on duties |
|
|
that are not components of a counseling or guidance program |
|
|
developed under Section 33.005. For purposes of this subsection, |
|
|
time spent in administering assessment instruments or providing |
|
|
other assistance in connection with assessment instruments, except |
|
|
time spent in interpreting data from assessment instruments, is not |
|
|
considered time spent on counseling or guidance. Each school in the |
|
|
district shall implement the policy. A copy of the policy shall be |
|
|
maintained in the office of each school in the district and made |
|
|
available on request during regular school hours to district |
|
|
employees, parents of district students, and the public. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 39.074, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (g) to read as follows: |
|
|
(g) Before an investigation of a district to which Section |
|
|
33.006(c) applies, the commissioner shall request that the district |
|
|
assess the district's compliance with the policy adopted under |
|
|
Section 33.006(c) and provide a written copy of the assessment to |
|
|
the investigators on or before the date specified by the |
|
|
commissioner. As part of each investigation, the investigators |
|
|
shall interview a percentage of district counselors determined by |
|
|
the commissioner to assess the district's compliance with the |
|
|
policy adopted under Section 33.006(c). The commissioner shall |
|
|
adopt rules to implement this subsection. |
|
|
SECTION 3. (a) Each school district to which Section |
|
|
33.006(c), Education Code, as added by this Act, applies shall |
|
|
implement a policy that complies with that section beginning with |
|
|
the 2007-2008 school year. |
|
|
(b) Section 39.074(g), Education Code, as added by this Act, |
|
|
applies beginning with the 2007-2008 school year. |
|
|
SECTION 4. 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, 2007. |