| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to excused absences from public school for the purpose of |
|
|
attending a released time course. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 25.087(b), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(b) A school district shall excuse a student from attending |
|
|
school for: |
|
|
(1) the following purposes, including travel for those |
|
|
purposes: |
|
|
(A) observing religious holy days; |
|
|
(B) attending a required court appearance; |
|
|
(C) appearing at a governmental office to |
|
|
complete paperwork required in connection with the student's |
|
|
application for United States citizenship; |
|
|
(D) taking part in a United States naturalization |
|
|
oath ceremony; |
|
|
(E) serving as an election clerk; [or] |
|
|
(F) if the student is in the conservatorship of |
|
|
the Department of Family and Protective Services, participating, as |
|
|
determined and documented by the department, in an activity: |
|
|
(i) ordered by a court under Chapter 262 or |
|
|
263, Family Code, provided that it is not practicable to schedule |
|
|
the participation outside of school hours; or |
|
|
(ii) required under a service plan under |
|
|
Subchapter B, Chapter 263, Family Code; or |
|
|
(G) attending a course under Section 25.0875; |
|
|
(2) a temporary absence resulting from an appointment |
|
|
with health care professionals for the student or the student's |
|
|
child if the student commences classes or returns to school on the |
|
|
same day of the appointment; or |
|
|
(3) an absence resulting from a serious or |
|
|
life-threatening illness or related treatment that makes the |
|
|
student's attendance infeasible, if the student or the student's |
|
|
parent or guardian provides a certification from a physician |
|
|
licensed to practice medicine in this state specifying the |
|
|
student's illness and the anticipated period of the student's |
|
|
absence relating to the illness or related treatment. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 25.0875 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 25.0875. EXCUSED ABSENCE TO ATTEND RELEASED TIME |
|
|
COURSE. (a) In this section, "released time course" means a course |
|
|
in religious instruction offered by a private entity. |
|
|
(b) A school district or open-enrollment charter school |
|
|
shall, on the request of a parent or legal guardian of a student |
|
|
enrolled at the district or school and subject to the policy adopted |
|
|
under Subsection (c), excuse the student from attending school to |
|
|
attend a released time course for at least one but not more than |
|
|
five hours a week. |
|
|
(c) Each school district and open-enrollment charter school |
|
|
shall adopt a policy for excusing a student enrolled at the district |
|
|
or school from attending school to attend a released time course. |
|
|
The policy: |
|
|
(1) must require: |
|
|
(A) the student's parent or legal guardian to |
|
|
provide written consent for the student to attend the released time |
|
|
course; |
|
|
(B) the private entity offering the released time |
|
|
course to maintain attendance records and make the records |
|
|
available to the district or school at which the student is |
|
|
enrolled; |
|
|
(C) the private entity, parent or legal guardian, |
|
|
or student to assume responsibility for transportation, including |
|
|
transportation for a student with a disability, to and from any |
|
|
location at which the released time course is offered; |
|
|
(D) the private entity to make provisions for and |
|
|
assume liability for the student enrolled in the released time |
|
|
course while the student is under the private entity's care; and |
|
|
(E) the student to assume responsibility for any |
|
|
schoolwork issued during the student's absence; |
|
|
(2) must prohibit: |
|
|
(A) the district or school from using district or |
|
|
school funds, excluding de minimis costs, to facilitate the |
|
|
provision of a released time course; and |
|
|
(B) the private entity from offering the released |
|
|
time course on district or school property, unless permitted under |
|
|
a neutral policy of equal access that allows community |
|
|
organizations to use district or school property; and |
|
|
(3) may not interfere with the ability of the student's |
|
|
parent or legal guardian to request or access a released time course |
|
|
for the student. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2026, each school |
|
|
district and open-enrollment charter school shall adopt the excused |
|
|
absence policy required by Section 25.0875, Education Code, as |
|
|
added by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |