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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the inclusion of professional staff who educate |
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students with disabilities on district-level and campus-level |
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planning and decision-making committees. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Sections 11.251(b) and (e), Education Code, are |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(b) The board shall adopt a policy to establish a district- |
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and campus-level planning and decision-making process that will |
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involve the professional staff of the district, parents, and |
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community members in establishing and reviewing the district's and |
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campuses' educational plans, goals, performance objectives, and |
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major classroom instructional programs. The board shall establish |
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a procedure under which meetings are held regularly by district- |
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and campus-level planning and decision-making committees that |
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include representative professional staff, including, if |
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practicable, at least one representative with the primary |
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responsibility for educating students with disabilities, parents |
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of students enrolled in the district, business representatives, and |
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community members. The committees shall include a business |
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representative without regard to whether the representative |
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resides in the district or whether the business the person |
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represents is located in the district. The board, or the board's |
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designee, shall periodically meet with the district-level |
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committee to review the district-level committee's deliberations. |
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(e) The board shall adopt a procedure, consistent with |
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Section 21.407(a), for the professional staff in the district to |
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nominate and elect the professional staff representatives who shall |
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meet with the board or the board designee as required under this |
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section. At least two-thirds of the elected professional staff |
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representatives must be classroom teachers. The remaining staff |
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representatives shall include both campus- and district-level |
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professional staff members. If practicable, the committee |
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membership shall include at least one professional staff |
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representative with the primary responsibility for educating |
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students with disabilities. Board policy must provide procedures |
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for: |
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(1) the selection of parents to the district-level and |
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campus-level committees; and |
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(2) the selection of community members and business |
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representatives to serve on the district-level committee in a |
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manner that provides for appropriate representation of the |
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community's diversity. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |