BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 54
86R2405 SRS-D	By: Zaffirini
	Education
	3/13/2019
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The purpose of S.B. 54 is to prevent school districts from being held accountable for students over which districts have no direct authority regarding instruction, curriculum, or assessment.

Currently, students who attend regional day school programs for the deaf are counted, for accountability purposes, as students of the district within whose physical boundaries the program is located. As school districts do not have authority over the instruction and assessment of these students, it is unfair to hold them accountable for these students' academic outcomes.

S.B. 54 would remove from school district accountability calculations students who attend regional day school programs for the deaf in certain districts but whose parents do not reside within the physical boundaries of those districts. This change would ensure districts' accountability ratings accurately reflect the performance of the students they serve.

As proposed, S.B. 54 amends current law relating to the consideration for public school accountability purposes of certain students participating in regional day school programs for the deaf.

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 Subchapter C, Chapter 39, Education Code, by adding Section 39.0551, as follows:

Sec. 39.0551. CERTAIN STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN REGIONAL DAY SCHOOL PROGRAMS FOR THE DEAF NOT CONSIDERED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY PURPOSES. Provides that, in determining the performance of a school district or campus under this chapter, a student participating in a regional day school program for the deaf under Subchapter D, Chapter 30 (Regional Day Schools for the Deaf), whose parent or person standing in parental relation to the student does not reside in the school district providing program services is not considered a student of the district or campus in which the program is physically located, notwithstanding any other provision of this code.

SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.