By: Campbell, Kolkhorst  S.B. No. 1776
         (In the Senate - Filed March 12, 2021; March 26, 2021, read
  first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 23, 2021,
  reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 0;
  April 23, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the inclusion of an elective course on the founding
  principles of the United States in the curriculum for public high
  school students and the posting of the founding documents of the
  United States in public school buildings.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter D, Chapter 11, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 11.172 to read as follows:
         Sec. 11.172.  POSTING OF FOUNDING DOCUMENTS. The board of
  trustees of an independent school district shall permit and
  encourage the posting in a district classroom or school building of
  a copy of the founding documents of the United States, including the
  Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the
  Federalist Papers, and the writings of the Founding Fathers of the
  United States.
         SECTION 2.  Section 12.104(b), Education Code, as amended by
  Chapters 262 (H.B. 1597), 464 (S.B. 11), 467 (H.B. 4170), and 943
  (H.B. 3), Acts of the 86th Legislature, Regular Session, 2019, is
  reenacted and amended to read as follows:
         (b)  An open-enrollment charter school is subject to:
               (1)  a provision of this title establishing a criminal
  offense;
               (2)  the provisions in Chapter 554, Government Code;
  and
               (3)  a prohibition, restriction, or requirement, as
  applicable, imposed by this title or a rule adopted under this
  title, relating to:
                     (A)  the Public Education Information Management
  System (PEIMS) to the extent necessary to monitor compliance with
  this subchapter as determined by the commissioner;
                     (B)  criminal history records under Subchapter C,
  Chapter 22;
                     (C)  reading instruments and accelerated reading
  instruction programs under Section 28.006;
                     (D)  accelerated instruction under Section
  28.0211;
                     (E)  high school graduation requirements under
  Section 28.025;
                     (F)  special education programs under Subchapter
  A, Chapter 29;
                     (G)  bilingual education under Subchapter B,
  Chapter 29;
                     (H)  prekindergarten programs under Subchapter E
  or E-1, Chapter 29;
                     (I)  extracurricular activities under Section
  33.081;
                     (J)  discipline management practices or behavior
  management techniques under Section 37.0021;
                     (K)  health and safety under Chapter 38;
                     (L)  public school accountability under
  Subchapters B, C, D, F, G, and J, Chapter 39, and Chapter 39A;
                     (M)  the requirement under Section 21.006 to
  report an educator's misconduct;
                     (N)  intensive programs of instruction under
  Section 28.0213;
                     (O)  the right of a school employee to report a
  crime, as provided by Section 37.148;
                     (P)  bullying prevention policies and procedures
  under Section 37.0832;
                     (Q)  the right of a school under Section 37.0052
  to place a student who has engaged in certain bullying behavior in a
  disciplinary alternative education program or to expel the student;
                     (R)  the right under Section 37.0151 to report to
  local law enforcement certain conduct constituting assault or
  harassment;
                     (S)  a parent's right to information regarding the
  provision of assistance for learning difficulties to the parent's
  child as provided by Sections 26.004(b)(11) and 26.0081(c) and (d);
                     (T)  establishment of residency under Section
  25.001;
                     (U) [(T)]  school safety requirements under
  Sections 37.108, 37.1081, 37.1082, 37.109, 37.113, 37.114, 37.115,
  37.207, and 37.2071;
                     (V) [(T)]  the early childhood literacy and
  mathematics proficiency plans under Section 11.185; [and]
                     (W) [(U)]  the college, career, and military
  readiness plans under Section 11.186; and
                     (X)  the posting of founding documents under
  Section 11.172.
         SECTION 3.  Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 28.0111 to read as follows:
         Sec. 28.0111.  FOUNDING PRINCIPLES ELECTIVE. (a)  Each
  school district and open-enrollment charter school that offers a
  high school program shall provide an elective course on the
  founding principles of the United States that meets the
  requirements for a one-half elective credit under Section 28.025.
         (b)  The course must focus on the principles underlying the
  United States form of government, the Declaration of Independence,
  the United States Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and the
  writings of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
         SECTION 4.  Section 28.0111, Education Code, as added by
  this Act, applies beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.
         SECTION 5.  To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails
  over another Act of the 87th Legislature, Regular Session, 2021,
  relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted
  codes.
         SECTION 6.  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.
 
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