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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to an exemption for students enrolled in certain advanced |
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courses from the requirement that a student be suspended from |
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participation in extracurricular activities for receiving an |
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unsatisfactory grade. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 33.081, Education Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsections (c) and (d) and adding Subsection (d-1) to |
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read as follows: |
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(c) A student who is enrolled in a school district in this |
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state or who participates in a University Interscholastic League |
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competition shall be suspended from participation in any |
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extracurricular activity sponsored or sanctioned by the school |
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district or the University Interscholastic League after a grade |
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evaluation period in which the student received a grade lower than |
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the equivalent of 70 on a scale of 100 in any academic class other |
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than a course described by Subsection (d-1) [an identified honors
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or advanced class]. A suspension continues for at least three |
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school weeks and is not removed during the school year until the |
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conditions of Subsection (d) are met. A suspension does not last |
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beyond the end of a school year. For purposes of this subsection, |
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"grade evaluation period" means: |
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(1) the six-week grade reporting period; or |
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(2) the first six weeks of a semester and each grade |
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reporting period thereafter, in the case of a district with a grade |
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reporting period longer than six weeks. |
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(d) Until the suspension is removed under this subsection or |
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the school year ends, a school district shall review the grades of a |
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student suspended under Subsection (c) at the end of each |
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three-week period following the date on which the suspension began. |
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At the time of a review, the suspension is removed if the student's |
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grade in each class, other than a course described by Subsection |
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(d-1) [an identified honors or advanced class], is equal to or |
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greater than the equivalent of 70 on a scale of 100. The principal |
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and each of the student's teachers shall make the determination |
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concerning the student's grades. |
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(d-1) Subsections (c) and (d) do not apply to an identified |
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honors, advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or dual |
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credit course in the subject area of English language arts, |
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mathematics, science, social studies, economics, or a language |
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other than English. The agency shall review on a biennial basis |
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courses described by this subsection to determine if the other |
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courses should be excluded from the requirement that a student be |
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suspended from participation in an extracurricular activity under |
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Subsection (c). Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, |
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the agency shall report the findings under this subsection to the |
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legislature. |
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SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2007-2008 |
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school year. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |