Amend SB 1 (senate committee report) as follows:
(1) In SECTION 2 of the bill, strike Section 29.368, Education Code (page 8, line 61 through page 9, line 16), and substitute the following:
Sec. 29.368. CHARACTER OF DISTRIBUTION. An education service provider or vendor of educational products that receives money distributed under the program is not a recipient of federal financial assistance and may not be considered to be an agent of state government on the basis of receiving that money.
(2) Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:
SECTION ___. Chapter 1, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 1.007 to read as follows:
Sec. 1.007. PRIVATE SCHOOL AUTONOMY. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a rule adopted or other governmental action taken may not impose requirements that are contrary to or limit the religious or institutional values or practices of a private school, including by limiting the ability of the private school to determine and implement:
(1) the methods of instruction, curriculum, or assessments used to educate students;
(2) admissions and enrollment practices, policies, and standards;
(3) employment practices, policies, and standards; or
(4) student or employee conduct practices, policies, and standards.
(b) The state or a political subdivision of this state may not interfere with the right of a private school described by Subsection (a) unless the interference is:
(1) essential to further a compelling governmental interest; and
(2) narrowly tailored using the least restrictive means to achieve that compelling governmental interest.