BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 947
86R773 MEW-F	By: Campbell
	Education
	4/3/2019
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Currently, children of active military families are ineligible to attend virtual school without previously attending a public school for at least one year. Families of military children move frequently due to reassignments and deployments, which causes breaks in the child's education. Many families choose to enroll their children in online virtual school to provide consistencies in their education from state to state. Unfortunately, military families in Texas are hindered from participating in state-supported and funded virtual school education.

S.B. 947 allows students from military families the flexibility to attend virtual online schools in Texas without having to first attend a public school for one year. As proposed, S.B. 947 amends current law relating to the ability of certain students to enroll full-time in courses provided through the state virtual school network.

As proposed, S.B. 947 amends current law relating to the ability of certain students to enroll full‑time in courses provided through the state virtual school network.

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 30A.002(b), Education Code, as follows:

(b) Creates Subdivision (2)(A) from existing text and redesignates existing Subdivision (3) as Subdivision (2)(B). Provides that a student is eligible to enroll full-time in courses provided through the state virtual school network only if the student:

(1) makes a nonsubstantive change to this subdivision; or

(2) regardless of whether the student was enrolled in a public school in this state in the preceding school year:

(A) is a dependent of a member of the United States military who has been deployed or transferred to, or otherwise currently resides in, this state, rather than is a dependent of a member of the United States military who has been deployed or transferred to, and was enrolled in a publicly funded school outside of this state in the preceding school year; or

(B) has been placed in substitute care in this state, rather than has been placed in substitute care in this state regardless of whether the student was enrolled in a public school in this state in the preceding school year.

SECTION 2. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2019�2020 school year.

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.