BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2542

By: Eissler

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current projections indicate that Texas will have lower levels of educational attainment by 2040 than it has today. For that reason, the Texas Legislature has shifted the focus of high school graduation from an undefined notion of high school proficiency to a concept of postsecondary readiness.  However, to actually increase educational attainment, Texas students must make informed choices about their studies after high school graduation.  

H.B. 2542 authorizes school districts to excuse up to two days' absence for a high school senior visiting an institution of higher education to determine a student's interest in attending the college or university.

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

H.B. 2542 amends the Education Code to authorize a school district to excuse a student from attending school to visit an institution of higher education accredited by a generally recognized accrediting organization during the student's senior year of high school for the purpose of determining the student's interest in attending the institution, provided that the district may not excuse more than two days' absences for this purpose and the district adopts a policy to determine when an absence will be excused for this purpose and a procedure to verify the student's visit at the institution.

H.B. 2542 prohibits a student from being penalized for that absence, requires the absent student to be counted as in attendance for purposes of calculating a school district's average daily attendance, and requires the student to be allowed a reasonable amount of time to make up work missed in the same manner as another student is treated when the student is absent from school and the district is required to excuse that absence.

H.B. 2542 makes its provisions applicable beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.