The House Public Education Committee will meet at 8 a.m., Tuesday, April 8, to hear invited and public testimony on the following bills:
HB 367 Rosenthal – The proposed legislation would formalize the process for excusing students from public school attendance due to severe or life-threatening illnesses. The bill specifies that school districts must excuse such students under certain conditions and necessitates a form to certify their absence due to medical reasons. A school district would be required to create a standardized certification form that must capture details such as the nature of the illness, its seriousness, the expected duration of absence, and a statement affirming that attending school during this period is not feasible. The bill stipulates that all school districts must comply and have the required form in place as soon as practicable after its enactment. The effective date for this legislation is set for the 2025-26 school year.
HB 497 Patterson – This bill would make significant changes to state law related to parental consent for mental and behavioral health services provided by school district personnel. It stipulates that an employee of a school district must secure written consent from a child’s parent prior to conducting psychological examinations, tests, or treatments, except where mandated by law regarding special education. The bill emphasizes the necessity of parental consent for accessing behavioral or mental health services, which includes the provision of contraceptives (emergency contraceptives included) and educational materials related to family planning, human sexuality, and mental health issues.
HB 549 Vasut – This bill would require each school district to provide at least one airway clearance device at every campus, with an emphasis on strategic storage locations, particularly near food areas where choking incidents may occur. The bill defines an “airway clearance device” as a noninvasive instrument designed to assist in removing foreign-body airway obstructions. Compliance with this mandate is contingent upon the school districts either donating the devices or acquiring them through purchases or leases funded by district-approved money. Additionally, the bill stipulates that at least one trained employee must be present at all times students gather near the location of these devices. No liability for injury arising from the use (or non-use) of these devices would be imposed on school districts or personnel under this law.
HB 983 Noble – This bill relates to the confidentiality of personal information regarding educators held by the Texas Education Agency. It explicitly defines and covers a range of personal information that is considered confidential. This includes details such as home addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, driver’s license numbers, emergency contacts, dates of birth, and social security numbers, as well as any information disclosing whether an educator has family members. The bill stipulates that this confidential status protects educators from the standard requirements of public information disclosure outlined in Section 552.021.
HB 1188 Manuel – This bill would require school districts to refer students receiving special education services who either have or are suspected of having an intellectual or developmental disability to local intellectual and developmental disability authorities. This referral is aimed at ensuring these students can access further services or public benefits, particularly Medicaid waiver programs.
HB 1290 Harris – This bill would prohibit the inclusion of certain harmful food additives in free or reduced-price meals provided by school districts. The banned substances are identified as brominated vegetable oil (BVO), potassium bromate, propylparaben, azodicarbonamide, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), red dye 3, and titanium dioxide. The bill defines the context in which these prohibitions apply, linking to federal programs like the national school breakfast program and the national school lunch program. It specifies that school districts and open-enrollment charter schools must comply with this regulation when providing meals to eligible students under these programs.
HB 1368 Jones – The bill would establish a new mandate for Texas public schools regarding the notification of parents when nurses, school counselors, or librarians, are not present at the school even though current statute does not require campuses to staff these roles, or to staff these roles full time. The bill includes definitions for each of the roles mentioned. Under this provision, if a school does not have a full-time staff member in any of these roles for more than 30 consecutive instructional days within the same school year, it must send written notifications to parents or guardians of enrolled students. To determine whether a school meets the equivalent staffing requirements, the bill outlines that a school qualifies as having a full-time staff member if it has two or more employees in the respective roles covering the necessary instructional hours. The principal is tasked with delivering these notifications within 30 instructional days and is required to make a good faith effort to provide bilingual notifications for non-English speaking parents. Schools can post notifications on their websites. The bill states that it does not apply to schools with a student enrollment of less than 10,000.
HB 2243 Oliverson – The bill would create the Texas Commission on Teacher Job Satisfaction and Retention, an entity tasked with “enhancing teacher job satisfaction and retention across Texas.” The commission would feature 13 members appointed by state leadership and it’s primary function would be developing actionable recommendations to address various aspects of teacher experience, such as excessive administrative burdens, the effects of current education laws on teacher morale, and the potential implications of declining federal education funding. To support its work, the commission would have the authority to hire necessary staff and obtain consulting services outside typical procurement regulations.
HB 2310 Ordaz – This bill would require the Texas Education Agency, in partnership with the Health and Human Services Commission and the Texas Workforce Commission, to develop and implement a comprehensive strategic plan that includes strategies for including children with disabilities in early childhood education settings, including pre-K programs, early childhood special education, and childcare programs under state subsidies. The bill necessitates a detailed analysis of existing barriers to inclusion and aims to propose legislative and policy changes necessary for improvements. Recommendations must focus on enhancing provider staffing, training, and resource allocation. The plan would have to be updated every four years, with agencies required to publish their findings and plans on their respective websites. The initial strategic plan would be expected to be available by September 1, 2026.
HB 2849 Allen – The bill would create new stipulations regarding recess in Texas public schools. It establishes a framework for model recess policies to be developed by the Department of State Health Services School Health Advisory Committee that foster constructive outdoor play while providing guidance on necessary outdoor equipment and facilities to support effective physical activity during recess. The bill outlines responsibilities for school district boards of trustees in creating recess policies. Each board would have to adopt a policy based on the model developed under Section 28.0045, with a review occurring at least every five years. The recess policy would have to explicitly state the minimum weekly unstructured playtime and clarify whether recess may be withheld as a disciplinary action. Model policies would be due by January 1, 2026, adoption by May 1, 2026, and full implementation required by the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.
HB 3099 Gerdes – This bill addresses funding for adult high school charter programs. The major focus of the bill is on how ADA is calculated for adult education programs. The proposed changes introduce increased thresholds for enrollment that determine the amount of instructional days that a student is counted toward ADA based on their enrollment percentage. (1) For students enrolled at least 75 percent of the school year, they maintain a 100 percent attendance rate. (2) Enrollments between 50 to less than 75 percent will count for three-quarters of the instructional days, a shift from the previous requirement of half. (3) Students who are engaged for 25 to less than 50 percent of the school year would count for half of the instructional days instead of a quarter. (4) Students enrolled at least 10 to less than 25 percent will receive recognition for a quarter of the instructional days, up from only one-tenth.
HB 3546 Martinez – This bill relates to the authority of an independent school district to change the date of the general election for officers. It amends state law to allow municipalities and hospital districts located in counties with populations between 19,900 and 20,000 to shift their general election dates to the November uniform election date. The bill introduces Subsection (f), which explicitly grants the governing bodies of independent school districts the same authority to change the date of their general elections to the November uniform election date. Additionally, the bill repeals the existing Section 41.0052(a-1) that may have governed election dates for independent school districts under previous legislation. The bill states that it prevails over any conflicting provisions from another Act of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025.
HB 3627 Tepper – This bill would redefine the employment framework for the personnel of the State Board of Education. The chair of the board would be granted the authority to employ staff necessary for the efficient functioning of the board and to determine their respective duties and compensation in accordance with legislative appropriations. Personnel hired under this provision would be classified as employees of the Texas Education Agency, which entitles them to state employment benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans. They would also be eligible for reimbursement for work-related expenses and be required to directly report to the board chair. The chair would have comprehensive control over employment decisions relating to these personnel, including hiring, promotions, and potential terminations. Additionally, the Texas Education Agency would be required to provide a spectrum of administrative support services, including human resources, budgeting, accounting, purchasing, payroll, IT, and legal assistance, to ensure the operational needs of the board are effectively met.
HB 3629 Noble – This bill would establish a new restriction on eligibility for members of the board of trustees of Texas independent school districts. Individuals required to register as sex offenders under Chapter 62 of the Code of Criminal Procedure would be explicitly barred from serving in these positions. The applicability of this restriction is time-dependent; it would impact only those terms that commence or vacancies that arise after the effective date of this legislation.
