By: Alonzo H.B. No. 3518

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to dropping courses

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended Section 51.907 to read as follows:

Sec. 51.907. LIMITATIONS ON NUMBER OF COURSES THAT MAY BE DROPPED UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. (a) In this section, "governing board", [and] "institution of higher education" and "a general academic teaching institution" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.

(b) This section applies only to an undergraduate student who drops a course at [an institution of higher education] a general academic teaching institution and only if:

(1) the student was able to drop the course without receiving a grade or incurring an academic penalty;

(2) the student's transcript indicates or will indicate that the student was enrolled in the course; and

(3) the student is not dropping the course in order to withdraw from the institution.

(c) Except as provided under rules adopted under Subsection (d), [an institution of higher education] a general academic teaching institution may not permit a student to drop more than six courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another [an institution of higher education] general academic teaching institution, under circumstances described by Subsection (b).

(d) The governing board of [an institution of higher education] a general academic teaching institution, may adopt a policy under which the maximum number of courses a student is permitted to drop under circumstances described by Subsection (b) is less than the maximum number of courses that a student may drop under Subsection (c).

(e) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall adopt rules under which [an institution of higher education] a general academic teaching institution shall permit a student to drop more courses under circumstances described by Subsection (b) than the number of courses permitted to be dropped under Subsection (c) or under a policy adopted under Subsection (d) if the student shows good cause for dropping more than that number, including a showing of:

(1) a severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student's ability to satisfactorily complete a course;

(2) the student's responsibility for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person if the provision of care affects the student's ability to satisfactorily complete a course;

(3) the death of a person who:

(A) is considered to be a member of the student's family under a rule adopted under this subsection for purposes of this subdivision; or

(B) is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student under a rule adopted under this subsection that the person's death is considered to be a showing of good cause; or

(4) the active duty service as a member of the Texas National Guard or the armed forces of the United States of:

(A) the student; or

(B) a person who is considered to be a member of the student's family under a rule adopted under this subsection for purposes of this subdivision.

(f) In determining the number of courses dropped by a student for purposes of this section, a course, such as a laboratory or discussion course, in which a student is enrolled concurrently with a lecture course is not considered to be a course separate from the lecture course if:

(1) concurrent enrollment in both courses is required; and

(2) in dropping the lecture course, the student would be required to drop the laboratory, discussion, or other course in which the student is concurrently enrolled.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2009.