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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to access to school textbooks. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 26.006, Texas Education Code, is amended |
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to read as follows: |
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Sec. 26.006. ACCESS TO TEACHING MATERIALS. (a) A parent is |
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entitled to: |
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(1) review all teaching materials, instructional materials, |
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and other teaching aids used in the classroom of the parent's child; |
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and |
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(2) review each test administered to the parent's child |
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after the test is administered. |
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(b) A school district shall make teaching materials and |
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tests readily available for review by parents. The district may |
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specify reasonable hours for review. |
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(c) A student's parent is entitled to request that the |
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school district or open-enrollment charter school the student |
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attends allow the student to take home any instructional materials |
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used by the student. If the student does not have reliable access to |
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technology at home, the school district or open-enrollment charter |
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school shall provide the instructional materials printed in book |
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format. Subject to the availability of the instructional materials, |
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the district or school shall honor the request. A student who takes |
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home instructional materials must return the instructional |
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materials to school at the beginning of the next school day if |
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requested to do so by the student's teacher. In this subsection, |
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"instructional material" has the meaning assigned by Section |
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31.002. |
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(d) A school district or open-enrollment charter school |
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must document each parental request which is denied, including the |
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reason for denial, and must report the documentation to the Texas |
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Education Agency not later than 30 days after the parental request |
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is made. |
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(e) The agency shall submit an annual report to the |
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legislature not later than September 1 of each year that identifies |
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the number of parental requests which were denied, including the |
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reason for denial, for each school district or open-enrollment |
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charter school. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |