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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to parental access to public school instructional |
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materials and tests. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 26.006, Education Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsection (a-1) and amending Subsections (b), (c), and (e) |
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to read as follows: |
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(a-1) In this section, "instructional material" has the |
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meaning assigned by Section 31.002 and includes supplemental |
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instructional material described by Section 31.035. |
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(b) A school district shall make [teaching] materials and |
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tests described by Subsection (a) readily available for review by |
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parents. The district may specify reasonable hours and methods for |
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review. The methods for review may include providing a digital copy |
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or providing online access through a learning management system or |
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online learning portal as described by Subsection (e). |
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(c) A student's parent is entitled to request that the |
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school district or open-enrollment charter school the student |
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attends allow the student to take home any instructional materials |
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used by the student. Subject to the availability of the |
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instructional materials, the district or school shall honor the |
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request. A student who takes home instructional materials must |
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return the instructional materials to school at the beginning of |
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the next school day if requested to do so by the student's teacher. |
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A school district or open-enrollment charter school must provide |
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the instructional materials to the student in printed format if the |
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student does not have reliable access to technology at the |
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student's home. [In this subsection, "instructional material" has |
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the meaning assigned by Section 31.002.] |
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(e) Each school district and open-enrollment charter school |
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that uses a learning management system or any online learning |
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portal to assign, distribute, present, or make available |
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instructional materials [as defined by Section 31.002] to students |
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shall provide login credentials to the system or portal to each |
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student's parent. |
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SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024 |
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school year. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |