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The Senate Education Committee heard testimony on eight bills, leaving them all pending, and passed the following bills out of committee on Thursday, April 15:

  • SB 272 by Sen. Royce West would require district school boards to select a student trustee from a list of high school students recommended by principals after taking applications.
  • SB 279 by Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa would require that student IDs (grades 7 through 12 and higher education institutions) include contact information for suicide prevention hotlines.
  • SB 560 by Sen. Eddie Lucio would require TEA to collaborate with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) as well as the Texas Workforce Commission to develop a strategic plan that would increase the number of educators certified for bilingual instruction; increase the number of dual language immersion models used in public schools; educate on the importance of bilingual ed in early childhood; adopt a uniform process for identifying students with limited English proficiency; and increase the number of bilingual and multilingual high school graduates.
  • SB 746 by Sen. Borris Miles requires parents to provide updated student contact information to the district in which the student is enrolled.
  • SB 801 by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst would require TEA To develop an agricultural education program for elementary students, with the goal of encouraging appreciation and improving students’ understanding of agriculture.
  • SB 1095 by Sen. Brandon Creighton would require school districts to notify parents of career and technology education programs or other work-based education programs in the district, including internships, externships, apprenticeships or P-TECH programs. Parents must also be notified about subsidies based on financial need to assist with fees paid to take AP tests or IB examinations and the qualifications for the education programs and subsidy opportunities.
  • SB 1191 by Sen. Kel Seliger would clarify that the definition of a “school resource officer” does not include a peace officer who provides law enforcement at a public school or public school event only for extracurricular activities.