BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2642

By: Allison

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that there is no requirement for school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to report acts of bullying or cyberbullying to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) or any other agency that keeps data on schools. Concerns have been raised that as a result there is no way to track such incidents. H.B. 2642 seeks to address this issue by requiring public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to report bullying using the Public Education Information Management System.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 2642 amends the Education Code to require the commissioner of education by rule to require each public school district and open-enrollment charter school to annually report through the Public Education Information Management System the number of reported incidents of bullying that have occurred at each campus. The bill requires the commissioner's rules to require a district or school to specify the number of incidents of bullying that included cyberbullying. The bill requires the Texas Education Agency to maintain the provided information. The bill applies beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.