BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center                                                                                                 C.S.S.B. 568

81R26747 EAH-F                                                                                                              By: Lucio

                                                                                                                                            Education

                                                                                                                                            4/22/2009

                                                                                                        Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

School counselors are the bridge between students, teachers, school faculty, and parents, and are at the frontlines during children's most vulnerable times.  Increasing demands on school counselors' time has led to less time being spent with students.  Counselors are responsible for too many students to provide the adequate individualized attention that is necessary for each student.

 

C.S.S.B. 568 amends current law relating to a notification requirement if a counselor is not assigned to a public school campus. 

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Commissioner of Education in SECTION 1 (Section 33.009, Education Code) of this bill.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Education Code, by adding Section 33.009, as follows:

 

Sec. 33.009.  PARENTAL NOTIFICATION CONSIDERING SCHOOL COUNSELORS.  (a)  Requires a public school, including an open-enrollment charter school, that does not have a full-time school counselor certified under Subchapter B (Certification of Educators), Chapter 21 (Educators), assigned to the campus for more than 30 consecutive instructional days during the same school year to provide written notice of the absence of a counselor to the parent of or other person standing in parental relation to each student enrolled in the school.

 

(b)  Requires the principal of the school to provide the notice required by Subsection (a) not later than the 30th instructional day after the first day the school does not have a full-time school counselor assigned to the campus.

 

(c)  Requires the school to make a good faith effort to ensure that the notice required by this section 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 notice provided under this section.

 

(d)  Authorizes the commissioner of education to adopt necessary rules regarding notice to a parent or other person standing in parental relation of the absence of a school counselor at the campus.

 

SECTION 2.  Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

 

SECTION 3.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2009.