The House Public Education met Tuesday, April 25, to hear these bills. They also voted out the following bills, which will now go to the full House for consideration:
- SB 294 (Johnson) allows school personnel and school volunteers who are authorized and trained to administer medication for respiratory distress. The bill also requires school districts and schools that adopt a respiratory distress policy to obtain written consent from a parent or guardian upon enrollment for returning and transfer students. Additionally, it clarifies that the provision regarding written consent does not preclude a school personnel member or school volunteer from administering medication in good faith regardless of whether the student’s parent or guardian has provided written consent. It also clarifies that a school employee may not be subject to any penalty or disciplinary action for refusing to participate in the school district or school campus respiratory distress policy.
- HB 83 (Zwiener, et al.), heard in committee April 20, allows school districts to elect to use a writing portfolio assessment as an alternative to administering certain portions of assessment instruments. It requires school districts electing to use a writing portfolio assessment to design the assessment in consultation with an institution of higher education. TEA would approve assessments if the agency determines that they meet certain criteria. The bill allows districts to coordinate with regional ESCs for grading the assessments.
- HB 4656 (Allison, et al.), heard in committee April 20, creates a temporary teaching certificate for teachers certified by other states and directs the SBEC to issue certficates to qualified out-of-state educators immediately upon application.
