88R2984 ANG-F
 
  By: Dutton H.B. No. 950
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to a student's eligibility for special education services
  provided by a school district, including services for dyslexia and
  related disorders.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  This Act may be cited as the Beckley Wilson Act.
         SECTION 2.  Section 7.028(a), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  Except as provided by Section 21.006(k), 22.093(l),
  22.096, 28.006, 29.001(5), 29.010(a), 33.006(h), [38.003,] or
  39.003, the agency may monitor compliance with requirements
  applicable to a process or program provided by a school district,
  campus, program, or school granted charters under Chapter 12,
  including the process described by Subchapter F, Chapter 11, or a
  program described by Subchapter B, C, D, E, F, H, or I, Chapter 29,
  or Subchapter A, Chapter 37, only as necessary to ensure:
               (1)  compliance with federal law and regulations;
               (2)  financial accountability, including compliance
  with grant requirements;
               (3)  data integrity for purposes of:
                     (A)  the Public Education Information Management
  System (PEIMS); and
                     (B)  accountability under Chapters 39 and 39A; and
               (4)  qualification for funding under Chapter 48.
         SECTION 3.  Section 7.102(c)(28), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
               (28)  The board shall develop and update, as necessary,
  guidance information for school districts on evidence-based
  practices for intervention and instruction of students with 
  [approve a program for testing students for] dyslexia and related
  disorders and incorporate in the information input from a
  broad-based dialogue with educators and experts in the field of
  reading and dyslexia and related disorders from across the state.  
  The guidance information may not address:
                     (A)  the evaluation and identification of
  students with dyslexia or a related disorder; or
                     (B)  how intervention and instruction are to be
  accessed by a student [as provided by Section 38.003].
         SECTION 4.  Section 11.252(a), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  Each school district shall have a district improvement
  plan that is developed, evaluated, and revised annually, in
  accordance with district policy, by the superintendent with the
  assistance of the district-level committee established under
  Section 11.251. The purpose of the district improvement plan is to
  guide district and campus staff in the improvement of student
  performance for all student groups in order to attain state
  standards in respect to the achievement indicators adopted under
  Section 39.053(c). The district improvement plan must include
  provisions for:
               (1)  a comprehensive needs assessment addressing
  district student performance on the achievement indicators, and
  other appropriate measures of performance, that are disaggregated
  by all student groups served by the district, including categories
  of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, and populations served by
  special programs, including students in special education programs
  under Subchapter A, Chapter 29;
               (2)  measurable district performance objectives for
  all appropriate achievement indicators for all student
  populations, including students in special education programs
  under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, and other measures of student
  performance that may be identified through the comprehensive needs
  assessment;
               (3)  strategies for improvement of student performance
  that include:
                     (A)  instructional methods for addressing the
  needs of student groups not achieving their full potential;
                     (B)  evidence-based practices that address the
  needs of students for special programs, including:
                           (i)  suicide prevention programs, in
  accordance with Subchapter G, Chapter 38, which include a parental
  or guardian notification procedure;
                           (ii)  conflict resolution programs;
                           (iii)  violence prevention programs; and
                           (iv)  special education [dyslexia
  treatment] programs;
                     (C)  dropout reduction;
                     (D)  integration of technology in instructional
  and administrative programs;
                     (E)  positive behavior interventions and support,
  including interventions and support that integrate best practices
  on grief-informed and trauma-informed care;
                     (F)  staff development for professional staff of
  the district;
                     (G)  career education to assist students in
  developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for a
  broad range of career opportunities;
                     (H)  accelerated education; and
                     (I)  implementation of a comprehensive school
  counseling program under Section 33.005;
               (4)  strategies for providing to elementary school,
  middle school, junior high school, and high school students, those
  students' teachers and school counselors, and those students'
  parents information about:
                     (A)  higher education admissions and financial
  aid opportunities, including state financial aid opportunities
  such as the TEXAS grant program and the Teach for Texas grant
  program established under Chapter 56;
                     (B)  the need for students to make informed
  curriculum choices to be prepared for success beyond high school;
  and
                     (C)  sources of information on higher education
  admissions and financial aid;
               (5)  resources needed to implement identified
  strategies;
               (6)  staff responsible for ensuring the accomplishment
  of each strategy;
               (7)  timelines for ongoing monitoring of the
  implementation of each improvement strategy;
               (8)  formative evaluation criteria for determining
  periodically whether strategies are resulting in intended
  improvement of student performance;
               (9)  the policy under Section 38.0041 addressing sexual
  abuse and other maltreatment of children; and
               (10)  the trauma-informed care policy required under
  Section 38.036.
         SECTION 5.  Section 21.003, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:
         (b-1)  A school district shall employ a person who may be a
  therapist, practitioner, specialist, or interventionist to provide
  services to students with dyslexia and related disorders. The
  person hired under this subsection is not required to hold a
  certificate or permit issued under Subchapter B in special
  education but must:
               (1)  hold an appropriate license, including a license
  issued under Chapter 403, Occupations Code;
               (2)  hold a certification issued by an appropriate
  association or have received training from an appropriate training
  provider, including an academic language practitioner or therapist
  certified by the Academic Language Therapy Association; or
               (3)  if a person qualified under Subdivision (1) or (2)
  is not available, meet the applicable training requirements for the
  position adopted by the commissioner by rule.
         SECTION 6.  Section 21.4552(b-1), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (b-1)  The completion of a literacy achievement academy
  under this section by an educator who teaches students with
  dyslexia satisfies:
               (1)  the training requirement under Section 21.054(b);
  and
               (2)  a training requirement adopted [by the State Board
  of Education] pursuant to Section 29.0031 [38.003] related to the
  screening or treatment of a student for dyslexia or a related
  disorder.
         SECTION 7.  Section 28.006(g-2), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (g-2)  In accordance with a notification program developed
  by the commissioner by rule, a school district shall notify the
  parent or guardian of each student determined, on the basis of a
  screening under Section 29.0031 [38.003] or other basis, to be at
  risk for [have] dyslexia or a related disorder, or determined, on
  the basis of reading instrument results, to be at risk for dyslexia
  or other reading difficulties, of the program maintained by the
  Texas State Library and Archives Commission providing students with
  reading disabilities the ability to borrow audiobooks free of
  charge.
         SECTION 8.  Section 29.001, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 29.001.  STATEWIDE PLAN. The agency shall develop, and
  modify as necessary, a statewide design, consistent with federal
  law, for the delivery of services to children with disabilities in
  this state that includes rules for the administration and funding
  of the special education program so that a free appropriate public
  education is available to all of those children between the ages of
  three and 21. The statewide design shall include the provision of
  services primarily through school districts and shared services
  arrangements, supplemented by regional education service centers.
  The agency shall also develop and implement a statewide plan with
  programmatic content that includes procedures designed to:
               (1)  ensure state compliance with requirements for
  supplemental federal funding for all state-administered programs
  involving the delivery of instructional or related services to
  students with disabilities;
               (2)  facilitate interagency coordination when other
  state agencies are involved in the delivery of instructional or
  related services to students with disabilities;
               (3)  periodically assess statewide personnel needs in
  all areas of specialization related to special education and pursue
  strategies to meet those needs through a consortium of
  representatives from regional education service centers, local
  education agencies, and institutions of higher education and
  through other available alternatives;
               (4)  ensure that regional education service centers
  throughout the state maintain a regional support function, which
  may include direct service delivery and a component designed to
  facilitate the placement of students with disabilities who cannot
  be appropriately served in their resident districts;
               (5)  allow the agency to effectively monitor and
  periodically conduct site visits of all school districts to ensure
  that rules adopted under this section and Section 29.0031 are
  applied in a consistent and uniform manner, to ensure that
  districts are complying with those rules, and to ensure that annual
  statistical reports filed by the districts and not otherwise
  available through the Public Education Information Management
  System under Sections 48.008 and 48.009 are accurate and complete;
               (6)  ensure that appropriately trained personnel are
  involved in the diagnostic and evaluative procedures operating in
  all districts and that those personnel routinely serve on district
  admissions, review, and dismissal committees;
               (7)  ensure that an individualized education program
  for each student with a disability is properly developed,
  implemented, and maintained in the least restrictive environment
  that is appropriate to meet the student's educational needs;
               (8)  ensure that, when appropriate, each student with a
  disability is provided an opportunity to participate in career and
  technology and physical education classes, in addition to
  participating in regular or special classes;
               (9)  ensure that each student with a disability is
  provided necessary related services;
               (10)  ensure that an individual assigned to act as a
  surrogate parent for a child with a disability, as provided by 20
  U.S.C. Section 1415(b), is required to:
                     (A)  complete a training program that complies
  with minimum standards established by agency rule;
                     (B)  visit the child and the child's school;
                     (C)  consult with persons involved in the child's
  education, including teachers, caseworkers, court-appointed
  volunteers, guardians ad litem, attorneys ad litem, foster parents,
  and caretakers;
                     (D)  review the child's educational records;
                     (E)  attend meetings of the child's admission,
  review, and dismissal committee;
                     (F)  exercise independent judgment in pursuing
  the child's interests; and
                     (G)  exercise the child's due process rights under
  applicable state and federal law; [and]
               (11)  ensure that each district develops a process to
  be used by a teacher who instructs a student with a disability in a
  regular classroom setting:
                     (A)  to request a review of the student's
  individualized education program;
                     (B)  to provide input in the development of the
  student's individualized education program;
                     (C)  that provides for a timely district response
  to the teacher's request; and
                     (D)  that provides for notification to the
  student's parent or legal guardian of that response;
               (12)  ensure the integration of technology to
  accommodate students with dyslexia and related disorders; and
               (13)  ensure that training opportunities, including
  continuing education that satisfies the requirements of Section
  21.054(b):
                     (A)  are accessible to school districts by
  developing a list of training opportunities regarding dyslexia and
  related disorders that comply with the knowledge and practice
  standards of an international organization on dyslexia; and
                     (B)  assist an educator or dyslexia service
  provider in understanding and recognizing dyslexia and providing
  multisensory, structured instruction that is systematic, explicit,
  and evidence-based to meet the educational needs of students with
  dyslexia or a related disorder.
         SECTION 9.  Section 29.002, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 29.002.  DEFINITIONS [DEFINITION].  In this
  subchapter[, "special services" means]:
               (1)  "Special [special] education" means specially
  designed instruction that is provided at no cost to the parent or
  person standing in parental relation to meet the unique needs of a
  student with a disability.[, which may be provided by professional
  and supported by paraprofessional personnel in the regular
  classroom or in an instructional arrangement described by Section
  48.102; and]
               (2)  "Student with a disability" means a student
  evaluated in accordance with Section 29.004 and the Individuals
  with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq.) as
  having:
                     (A)  an intellectual disability, a hearing
  impairment including deafness, a visual impairment including
  blindness, a serious emotional disturbance, an orthopedic
  impairment, autism, a traumatic brain injury, a speech or language
  impairment, deaf-blindness, multiple disabilities, any other
  health impairment, or a specific learning disability and who, as a
  result of the disability, needs special education;
                     (B)  noncategorical early childhood developmental
  delays that prevent the student from being adequately or safely
  educated in a public school without receiving special education; or
                     (C)  dyslexia or a related disorder and who, as a
  result of the dyslexia or the related disorder, needs special
  education [related services, which are developmental, corrective,
  supportive, or evaluative services, not instructional in nature,
  that may be required for the student to benefit from special
  education instruction and for implementation of a student's
  individualized education program].
         SECTION 10.  Section 29.003(b), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (b)  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 is identified
  as a student with [and has] a visual or hearing [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 years of age but not more than 21
  years of age and has been identified as a student with a disability
  other than a visual or hearing impairment; [and has one] or
               (3)  is at least three years of age but not more than
  five years of age and the [following disabilities that prevents
  the] student is a student evaluated as having noncategorical early
  childhood developmental delays as described by Section
  29.002(2)(B) [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].
         SECTION 11.  Subchapter A, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 29.0031 to read as follows:
         Sec. 29.0031.  DYSLEXIA AND RELATED DISORDERS. (a) A school
  district shall:
               (1)  screen students for dyslexia and related
  disorders;
               (2)  notify the parent of or person standing in
  parental relation to each student who is determined to be at risk
  for dyslexia or a related disorder that the student is at risk; and
               (3)  make a good faith effort to ensure that the notice
  provided under Subdivision (2):
                     (A)  is clear and easy to understand;
                     (B)  is in the recipient's native language; and
                     (C)  includes information about the student's
  data and measurements that led to the determination that the
  student is at risk for dyslexia or a related disorder.
         (b)  On determining that a student is at risk for dyslexia or
  a related disorder, the school district shall implement a
  multisensory, structured reading instruction program as an
  intervention as part of the district's multitiered systems of
  support under Section 26.0081 that, to the extent possible,
  incorporates training provided to teachers under Section 21.4552.
  The district shall determine the form, content, and timing of a
  program provided under this subsection, subject to requirements for
  the program established by the commissioner by rule. The program
  adopted under this subsection may not be used to delay an evaluation
  for special education services under Section 29.004.
         (c)  Only a person who meets the qualifications for
  employment by a school district to provide services to students
  with dyslexia and related disorders under Section 21.003(b-1) may
  perform screenings for dyslexia and related disorders and implement
  reading instruction programs as required by this section.
         (d)  The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
  implement this section. The rules must:
               (1)  require a universal screening for each student for
  dyslexia and related disorders:
                     (A)  at the end of the school year in
  kindergarten; and
                     (B)  before the end of the school year in first
  grade;
               (2)  establish, in coordination with experts and
  educators in the field of reading and dyslexia and related
  disorders from across the state, the screening requirements under
  Subsection (a);
               (3)  establish the requirements for reading
  instruction programs provided under Subsection (b); and
               (4)  establish the personnel required to deliver
  dyslexia intervention in accordance with Section 21.003(b-1).
         SECTION 12.  Section 30.001(b), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (b)  The commissioner, with the approval of the State Board
  of Education, shall develop and implement a plan for the
  coordination of services to children with disabilities in each
  region served by a regional education service center. The plan must
  include procedures for:
               (1)  identifying existing public or private
  educational and related services for children with disabilities in
  each region;
               (2)  identifying and referring children with
  disabilities who cannot be appropriately served by the school
  district in which they reside to other appropriate programs;
               (3)  assisting school districts to individually or
  cooperatively develop programs to identify and provide appropriate
  services for children with disabilities;
               (4)  expanding and coordinating services provided by
  regional education service centers for children with disabilities;
  [and]
               (5)  providing for special education [services],
  including special seats, books, instructional media, and other
  supplemental supplies and services required for proper
  instruction; and
               (6)  ensuring services provided for students with
  dyslexia and related disorders align with guidance on
  evidence-based practices developed by the State Board of Education
  under Section 7.102(c)(28).
         SECTION 13.  Section 30.002(g), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (g)  To facilitate implementation of this section, the
  commissioner shall develop a system to distribute from the
  foundation school fund to school districts or regional education
  service centers a special supplemental allowance for each student
  with a visual impairment and for each student with a serious visual
  disability and another medically diagnosed disability of a
  significantly limiting nature who is receiving special education
  services through any approved program. The supplemental allowance
  may be spent only for special education [services] uniquely
  required by the nature of the student's disabilities and may not be
  used in lieu of educational funds otherwise available under this
  code or through state or local appropriations.
         SECTION 14.  Section 37.146(a), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  A complaint alleging the commission of a school offense
  must, in addition to the requirements imposed by Article 45.019,
  Code of Criminal Procedure:
               (1)  be sworn to by a person who has personal knowledge
  of the underlying facts giving rise to probable cause to believe
  that an offense has been committed; and
               (2)  be accompanied by a statement from a school
  employee stating:
                     (A)  whether the child is eligible for or receives
  special education [services] under Subchapter A, Chapter 29; and
                     (B)  the graduated sanctions, if required under
  Section 37.144, that were imposed on the child before the complaint
  was filed.
         SECTION 15.  Section 48.103, Education Code, is amended by
  amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsection (c-1) to
  read as follows:
         (b)  A school district is entitled to an allotment under
  Subsection (a) only for a student who:
               (1)  is receiving services for dyslexia or a related
  disorder in accordance with:
                     (A)  an individualized education program
  developed for the student under Section 29.005; or
                     (B)  a plan developed for the student under
  Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794);
               (2)  is receiving instruction that:
                     (A)  meets applicable dyslexia intervention
  components [program criteria] established by the State Board of
  Education or agency; and
                     (B)  is provided by a person with specific
  training in providing that instruction; or
               (3)  is permitted, on the basis of having dyslexia or a
  related disorder, to use modifications in the classroom or
  accommodations in the administration of assessment instruments
  under Section 39.023.
         (c)  A school district shall:
               (1)  [may] receive funding for a student under this
  section and Section 48.102 if the student satisfies the
  requirements of both sections;
               (2)  allocate money received under Subdivision (1) to
  the district's special education budget; and
               (3)  prioritize the use of money received under
  Subdivision (1) for the employment and retention of district
  employees who are specially trained to evaluate, identify, and
  provide services for dyslexia and related disorders, including a
  person described by Section 21.003(b-1).
         (c-1)  A school district may only use funding received under
  this section to supplement the district's special education budget
  and not to offset or deduct from the district's special education
  budget. 
         SECTION 16.  (a)  A joint interim committee is established to
  study methods for screening and testing students for dyslexia and
  related disorders and the appropriate instruction for students with
  dyslexia and related disorders.
         (b)  The committee shall assess:
               (1)  the method and efficiency with which programs for
  dyslexia and related disorders are delivered to students;
               (2)  whether the screening process for dyslexia and
  related disorders used by school districts correctly identifies
  students with dyslexia or a related disorder and provides the
  intervention and curriculum necessary for those students;
               (3)  whether the implementation of recommended
  methodologies for students with dyslexia or a related disorder in
  the elementary grades is successful and appropriate;
               (4)  methods to properly enforce and provide oversight
  of programs for dyslexia and related disorders;
               (5)  parental rights related to screening and programs
  for dyslexia and related disorders;
               (6)  methods to ensure federal funds received to
  support special education instruction for students with dyslexia
  and related disorders are used to provide students with the best
  evidence-based multisensory systematic language therapy
  intervention available; and
               (7)  the effectiveness of educator incentives for
  programs for dyslexia and related disorders.
         (c)  The committee consists of the following eight members:
               (1)  four members of the house of representatives
  appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and
               (2)  four members of the senate appointed by the
  lieutenant governor.
         (d)  The speaker of the house of representatives and the
  lieutenant governor shall each designate a co-chair from among the
  committee members.
         (e)  The joint interim committee has all other powers and
  duties provided to a special or select committee by the rules of the
  senate and house of representatives by Subchapter B, Chapter 301,
  Government Code, and by policies of the senate and house committees
  on administration.
         (f)  Not later than December 1, 2024, the joint interim
  committee shall report the committee's findings and
  recommendations to the governor and the members of the legislature.
         (g)  The joint interim committee established under this
  section is abolished and this section expires December 10, 2024.
         SECTION 17.  The following provisions of the Education Code
  are repealed:
               (1)  Section 38.003;
               (2)  Section 38.0031; and
               (3)  Section 38.0032.
         SECTION 18.  (a) This Act applies beginning with the
  2024-2025 school year.
         (b)  As soon as practicable after the effective date of this
  Act, the commissioner of education shall adopt rules necessary to
  implement this Act using a negotiated rulemaking process under
  Chapter 2008, Government Code.
         (c)  As soon as practicable after the effective date of this
  Act, each school district shall notify the parent or person
  standing in parental relation to a student who has been identified
  as having dyslexia or a related disorder and who received dyslexia
  intervention and instructional support in accordance with Section
  504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794), during the
  2023-2024 school year of the parent's or person's rights to have the
  student continue that support and to request a full individual
  evaluation under Section 29.004, Education Code. The commissioner
  of education shall develop and make available a model notice that a
  school district shall use to provide the notice required by this
  subsection.
         (d)  Not later than September 1, 2024, the Texas Education
  Agency shall provide informal guidance to school districts on the
  evaluation and identification of students with dyslexia or a
  related disorder in accordance with this Act.
         SECTION 19.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.