AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

School district boards of trustees develop the local district grievance policy in compliance with the requirements of the Education Code.  District grievance timelines tend to be very short, with filings and conferences needing to occur within ten to fifteen days.  Currently an employee is entitled to representation throughout the grievance policy, but scheduling of grievance conferences can prove troublesome due to the short grievance timelines.  It is in the best interest of both the district and the employee for these grievance conferences to take place quickly and efficiently.

 

Though many districts do allow the employee’s counsel to attend by telephone conference, not all districts do. This simple change in the law would require district policy to permit representation by phone, during meetings where the substance of a grievance is investigated or discussed, provided that the district already has the equipment to conduct such a telephonic conference.  

 

H.B. 2607 amends current law relating to the representation through a telephone conference call of a school district employee under a district grievance policy.

 

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 11.171, Education Code, by adding Subsection (c), to require a school district grievance policy to permit an attorney or other person representing a district employee concerning a grievance reported under Subsection (a) (relating to requiring that a school district grievance policy permit a school district employee to report a certain grievance against a supervisor) to represent the employee through a telephone conference call, provided that the district has the equipment necessary for that type of call, at any formal grievance proceeding, hearing, or conference at which the district employee is entitled to representation according to the school district grievance policy.

 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2013.