AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
School districts are required, by law, to furnish written notice to children's parents regarding their performance in each class or subject. Specifically, the district must inform parents of their children's performance in each class once every twelve weeks. If a student's performance in a subject in the foundation curriculum is less than satisfactory, then the notice must be provided at least once every three weeks. These notices are required, by law, to be signed by the parent and returned to the school district.
H.B. 1993 allows parents to use an electronic signature for the purposes of signing and returning a student's report card to the school district. The bill does not require that all parents use electronic signatures. Rather, the bill allows school districts to permit parents to use e-signatures; those parents wishing to use handwritten signatures would be permitted to do so.
H.B. 1993 amends current law relating to the authorization of independent school districts to use electronic means to notify parents of a student's academic performance.
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 28.022, Education Code, by adding Subsection (e), as follows:
(e) Provides that a district that uses an electronic platform for communicating student grade and performance information to parents may permit a parent to sign a notice required under Subsections (a)(2) (requiring the board of trustees of each school district to adopt a policy that requires the district, at least once every 12 weeks, to give written notice to a parent of a student’s performance in each class or subject) and (a)(3) (requiring the board of trustees of each school district to adopt a policy that requires the district, at least once every three weeks, to give written notice to a parent or legal guardian of a student’s performance in a subject) electronically, so long as the district retains a record verifying the parent's acknowledgment of the required notice. Requires a district that accepts electronic signatures under this subsection to offer parents the option to provide a handwritten signature as provided under Subsection (b) (requiring that the notice required under Subsections (a)(2) and (a)(3) provide for the signature of a student’s parent and be returned to the district).
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2015.