Note: Two additional bills were added to the agenda late Monday night. See below.
The House Public Education Committee will meet at 8 a.m., Tuesday, April 29, 2025, to hear invited and public testimony on the following House bills and bills passed by the Senate:
HB 4 Buckley – As TASA previously reported, House Public Education Committee Chair Brad Buckley filed HB 4 as part of his priority legislation. The bill makes changes to the public school assessment and accountability systems, including to the actions and proceedings challenging those state systems. A committee substitute for the bill is expected to be introduced during the hearing, but the language of the substitute is not yet publicly available.
HB 54 Gerdes – The F.U.R.R.I.E.S. Act prohibits non-human behaviors and representations, except on designated exempt days. It includes specific definitions and guidelines for acceptable conduct.
HB 775 Frank – The bill requires school districts to allow non-enrolled students access to UIL activities unless the board declines by a majority record vote of the trustees. If a school district has declined to grant non-enrolled students access, that student is eligible to participate in a league activity for the public school closest to their residential address that has not declined to grant non-enrolled students access to UIL activities.
HB 850 Lalani – The bill mandates the implementation of cardiac emergency response plans in public and certain private schools, ensuring the availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and training for staff.
HB 1122 Lopez – The bill mandates the employment of certified school counselors in school districts based on student enrollment thresholds, with phased implementation from 2027 to 2033. It also introduces state aid to support districts in meeting these requirements.
HB 1249 Zwiener – The bill proposes the authorization of writing portfolio assessments as an alternative method for evaluating writing performance in public schools.
HB 1405 Reynolds – The bill implements comprehensive bullying and cyberbullying policies, reporting mechanisms, and support systems for affected public school students.
The following bill was added to the hearing notice Monday night:
HB 1573 Jones – The bill requires school districts to adopt a policy regarding custodian workloads for district facilities. The policy must establish benchmarks for square feet that may be assigned to a properly equipped school custodian for maintenance and custodial services during an eight-hour shift. The board must provide benchmarks categorized by elementary, middle, and high school campuses, and other district facilities. School districts must post the policy on the district’s website. Applies beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
HB 2336 Allen – The bill amends the Education Code to give all school district employees the right to present grievances directly to the district board of trustees.
HB 2757 Frank – The bill would allow school districts to adopt policies enabling children of active-duty foreign military members stationed in Texas to establish their age for school admission eligibility based on their age during the school year they seek admission.
The following bill was added to the hearing notice Monday night:
HB 3369 Louderback – The bill provides that referees, judges, and other officials are no longer required to issue a verbal warning or wait for persisting inappropriate behavior before ejecting a spectator from school-sponsored or UIL activities or competitions. Applies beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
HB 3372 Metcalf – The bill prohibits school district administrators from engaging in personal services or receiving financial benefits from entities that have business dealings with their school district or are involved in educational services. It introduces penalties for violations and repeals a related section of the Education Code.
HB 3622 Landgraf – The bill modifies funding calculations and increases financial support for dropout recovery initiatives. It introduces provisions for flexible attendance accounting and raises per-student funding for specific educational services.
HB 4442 Bhojani – The bill mandates the introduction of an elective mindfulness course for middle school, junior high, and high school students in Texas, starting with the 2026-27 school year. This course would teach techniques for focus, stress management, emotional regulation, and self-awareness.
HB 4687 Gervin-Hawkins – The bill would extend immunity from liability to charter school campuses, programs, and their governing bodies.
HB 4893 Bowers – The “Breakthrough Program bill” would establish a structured support system for students who are first-generation college attendees or are from low-income families. It mandates the creation of performance goals, community funding bases, and cooperative efforts between educational agencies and local programs.
HB 5089 Geren – The bill proposes amendments to the Education Code to streamline the process of creating new school districts through the detachment of territory from existing districts. It introduces specific procedural requirements for petitions, voting, and the allocation of resources and responsibilities among affected districts.
HB 5515 Buckley – The bill aims to regulate the pricing and delivery of instructional materials for public schools in Texas. It mandates publishers to align prices with the lowest offered in the U.S., prohibits inflated shipping charges, and enforces quality and factual accuracy standards.
HB 5606 Wilson – The bill proposes the establishment of a sick leave bank for school district and charter school employees in Texas, allowing retired employees’ unused sick leave to be pooled and accessed by current employees who have exhausted their own sick leave.
Bills passed by the Senate to be considered by the committee:
SB 10 King – The bill mandates the display of the 10 Commandments in all public school classrooms in Texas, specifying the format and content of the display. It allows for private donations to fulfill this requirement and provides guidelines for schools to comply without mandatory funding allocation.
SB 24 Campbell – The bill mandates the inclusion of educational content on communist regimes and ideologies in the social studies curriculum for grades 4-12 in public schools. It outlines specific historical events, ideological comparisons, and modern implications to be covered.
