BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1219

By: Averitt

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The State Board of Education adopted the Office of the Attorney General's parenting and paternity awareness curriculum after the passage of H.B. 2176 during the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007. The curriculum requires a health educator to teach 14 lesson plans that last approximately one hour each.

Because high school health classes traditionally are only one semester, rather than a full school year, implementing 14 lesson plans can be extremely difficult. This difficulty is increased for districts that participate in a block-schedule school day. The current 14-lesson-plan mandate makes spending adequate time on other extremely important topics during the semester difficult for many high school health educators. The proposed legislation does not change the required curriculum content but provides flexibility in the method in which that content is taught.      

S.B. 1219 authorizes a public school teacher, at the discretion of the school district, to modify the suggested sequence and pace of the mandatory parenting and paternity awareness program.

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

S.B. 1219 amends the Education Code to authorize a public school teacher, at the discretion of the school district, to modify the suggested sequence and pace of the parenting and paternity awareness program required as part of the high school health curriculum.

S.B. 1219 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.