The House Sub-Committee on Academic & Career-Oriented Education has scheduled a hearing at 8 a.m., Thursday, April 3, 2025, to hear invited and public testimony on the following bills:
HB 295 Shaheen – This bill seeks to modify the current educational policies regarding bullying by explicitly incorporating antisemitism into the definition provided under Section 37.0832(a) of the Education Code. It defines bullying as actions by students that exploit an imbalance of power, addressing both severe acts and persistent patterns that lead to a hostile educational environment. With the new provisions, antisemitism is recognized as a form of bullying and is characterized as behavior demonstrating hatred towards Jews. The bill details that acts of antisemitism could target Jewish or non-Jewish individuals, their properties, or Jewish community institutions and religious sites. The bill references the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s “Working Definition of Antisemitism” for clarity and context.
HB 824 Jones – The bill establishes a new Subsection (h-3) that obliges the State Board of Education to integrate specific content into the government’s curriculum aimed at fostering students’ understanding of civic matters. This instruction will cover essential components of civic knowledge, including the roles of various governmental officials from statewide to local levels. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the voting process, election laws, and the eligibility criteria for running for public office. The inclusion of Robert’s Rules of Order aims to prepare students for participating in meetings and decision-making processes. Also significant is the focus on identifying the elected officials who represent students at different tiers of government.
HB 1579 Guerra – This bill creates a Texas State Seal of Bilingualism and Biliteracy aimed at recognizing public high school graduates who demonstrate high proficiency in comprehending, speaking, reading, and writing in both English and another language. Section 28.028 of the Education Code is added, defining the seal and outlining its establishment by TEA. The agency will collaborate with relevant stakeholders to determine minimum requirements for earning the seal, ensuring these are rigorous enough to signify true biliteracy. The criteria will not mandate a specific examination for earning the seal, though it may involve completing a project or portfolio. TEA is also tasked with providing school districts an insignia to be affixed to diplomas and a designation for student transcripts upon fulfilling seal requirements. Each school district will be responsible for keeping detailed records of students who earn the seal, applying the insignia to diplomas, and recognizing the achievement on student transcripts.
HB 1581 Guerra – The bill introduces several new provisions, including a new section, 21.4572, which mandates the Texas commissioner of education to develop training resources for school administrators that will improve understanding and student outcomes in bilingual and dual language immersion education. The existing reporting requirements under Section 29.066(a) are expanded to include new data points, specifically gathering demographic information, the number of students in each instructional model, and data on emergent bilingual students who lack specialized instruction. School districts will also be required to report any additional information as dictated by the educational agency. Section 29.068 is added to facilitate monitoring of bilingual and special language programs. The agency is tasked with adopting rules that prioritize meeting student needs, closing learning gaps, and directly engaging with school districts to improve education strategies for bilingual students.
HB 2189 Howard – This bill requires TEA to provide high-quality instructional materials at no cost to school districts for health profession-related programs (Section 29.193). The materials can include essential knowledge and skills or supplemental resources, enhancing the educational offerings for students. The bill mandates a study (Section 29.195) in collaboration with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to explore partnership opportunities between public schools and higher education institutions. Section 2308A.0075 requires a comprehensive review of dual credit programs for health professions to ensure their curricula align with higher education requirements. This review will also include insights from both academic and practicing healthcare professionals, culminating in a report to be submitted to the Legislature by December 1, 2026.
