BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 1801
85R12007 PAM-D	By: Miles
	Education
	4/25/2017
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The publicly available reports on school suspensions are insufficient to fully understand the identity of students affected by discipline disparities in public schools, which disproportionately affect African American or black male students. S.B. 1801 improves the data collected on school suspensions.

As proposed, S.B. 1801 amends current law relating to reporting and disseminating information regarding public school disciplinary actions.

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 the heading to Section 37.020, Education Code, to read as follows:

Sec. 37.020. REPORTS RELATING TO SUSPENSIONS, EXPULSIONS, AND DISCIPLINARY ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM PLACEMENTS.

SECTION 2. Amends Section 37.020, Education Code, by adding Subsections (d) and (e), as follows:

(d) Requires the school district, for each suspension under Section 37.005 (Suspension), to report:

(1) certain information identifying the student that will enable the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to compare placement data with information collected through other reports;

(2) information indicating the basis for the suspension;

(3) the number of full or partial days the student was suspended; and

(4) the number of suspensions that were inconsistent with the guidelines included in the student code of conduct under Section 37.001(a)(3) (relating to requiring the student code of conduct to outline certain conditions under which a student may be suspended).

(e) Requires TEA to make information collected under this section, disaggregated by race, sex, and age of the student, available to the public in a manner that does not identify an individual student.

SECTION 3. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018 school year.

SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2017.