| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to eligibility criteria for certain public school students |
|
|
who received special education services during the 2019-2020, |
|
|
2020-2021, 2021-2022, or 2022-2023 school year. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 29.003, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a [A] student is |
|
|
eligible to participate in a school district's special education |
|
|
program if the student: |
|
|
(1) is not more than 21 years of age and has a visual or |
|
|
auditory impairment that prevents the student from being adequately |
|
|
or safely educated in public school without the provision of |
|
|
special services; or |
|
|
(2) is at least three but not more than 21 years of age |
|
|
and has one or more of the following disabilities that prevents the |
|
|
student from being adequately or safely educated in public school |
|
|
without the provision of special services: |
|
|
(A) physical disability; |
|
|
(B) intellectual or developmental disability; |
|
|
(C) emotional disturbance; |
|
|
(D) learning disability; |
|
|
(E) autism; |
|
|
(F) speech disability; or |
|
|
(G) traumatic brain injury. |
|
|
(c) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), a student at least 21 |
|
|
years of age during the 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, or |
|
|
2022-2023 school year shall remain eligible to participate in a |
|
|
school district's special education program for one additional |
|
|
school year if the student continues to have a disability listed in |
|
|
Subsection (b)(2). |
|
|
SECTION 2. 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, 2021. |