BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center                                                                                                      S.B. 1219

81R5782 EAH-D                                                                                                             By: Averitt

                                                                                                                                            Education

                                                                                                                                            3/20/2009

                                                                                                                                              As Filed

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

The State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted the Office of the Attorney General's Parenting and Paternity Awareness (P.A.P.A.) curriculum after the passage of H.B. 2176 during the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007.  The P.A.P.A. curriculum adopted by SBOE contains the requirement for a health educator to teach 14 separate lesson plans that last approximately one hour each.

 

Because high school health classes are traditionally only one semester in length, rather than a full school year, implementing 14 lesson plans can be extremely difficult.  This difficulty is increased for districts who participate in a block schedule school day.  The current 14 lesson plan mandate makes it difficult for many high school health educators to spend adequate time on other extremely important topics during the semester.  S.B. 1219 does not change the content that is required to be delivered, but provides flexibility in the method that content is taught.       

 

As proposed,  S.B. 1219 authorizes P.A.P.A. or part of P.A.P.A., at the discretion of a district, to be included in the curriculum for a high school course lasting less than a full year that meets a requirement for health education credit and clarifies that P.A.P.A. is required to be included in the curriculum for any full-year high school health education course.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 28.002(p), Education Code, to require the State Board of Education (SBOE), in conjunction with the office of the attorney general (OAG), to develop a parenting and paternity awareness program for use in a school district's high school health curriculum.  Requires that the program (program) be included in the curriculum for any full-year high school course that meets a requirement for health education credit.  Authorizes the program or part of the program to be included in the curriculum for a high school course lasting less than a full year that meets a requirement for health education credit, at the discretion of a district.  Deletes existing text that requires SBOE, in conjunction with OAG, to develop a parenting and paternity awareness program that a school district is required to use in the district's high school health curriculum.   

 

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

 

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