| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the use of public school counselors' work time. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 33.006, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows: |
|
|
(d) The board of trustees of each school district shall |
|
|
adopt a policy that specifies a percentage of a school counselor's |
|
|
total work time that the school counselor is required to spend on |
|
|
duties that are components of a counseling program developed under |
|
|
Section 33.005. For purposes of this subsection, time spent in |
|
|
administering assessment instruments or providing other assistance |
|
|
in connection with assessment instruments, except time spent in |
|
|
interpreting data from assessment instruments, is not considered |
|
|
time spent on counseling. Each school in the district shall |
|
|
implement the policy. A copy of the policy shall be maintained in |
|
|
the office of each school in the district and made available on |
|
|
request during regular school hours to district employees, parents |
|
|
of district students, and the public. |
|
|
(e) A school district may not include a provision in an |
|
|
employment contract with a school counselor under Chapter 21 that |
|
|
conflicts with the policy required by Subsection (d) or has the |
|
|
effect of authorizing a school principal or school district |
|
|
superintendent to require a school counselor to generally perform |
|
|
duties that are not primarily related to a counseling function. |
|
|
SECTION 2. (a) Each school district shall implement a |
|
|
policy adopted under Section 33.006(d), Education Code, as added by |
|
|
this Act, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. |
|
|
(b) Section 33.006(e), Education Code, as added by this Act, |
|
|
applies only to a contract executed on or after the effective date |
|
|
of this Act. A contract executed before the effective date of this |
|
|
Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the contract was |
|
|
executed, and the former law is continued in effect for that |
|
|
purpose. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |