The House Public Education Committee will meet at 8 a.m., Tuesday, March 28, to hear public testimony on the following bills:
- HB 681 (Keith Bell) would remove sunset dates regarding virtual instruction at a public school and certain teacher certification requirements for virtual courses instituted during the pandemic.
- HB 1263 (Senfronia Thompson) would prohibit local authorities from prohibiting the designation of school crossing zones and school crosswalks at high school campuses located in municipalities of 2 million or more.
- HB 1507 (Ken King) would prohibit school districts and open-enrollment charter schools from organizing or hosting a program that celebrates or provides special instruction related to sexual preference. School districts and/or employees who violate the prohibition can be sanctioned by the State Board for Educator Certification and receive: a fine of $500 to $10,000; termination or suspension of a teacher’s permit; or any other sanction deemed appropriate by the SBEC.
- HB 1959 (Noble, et al.) would require a school district to transfer a child of a peace officer to another campus within the district or to another district upon the peace officer’s request and to the campus requested. A district would not be required to provide transportation for this transfer.
- HB 2012 (Oliverson, et al.) would prohibit the prohibition of teachers in public school and institutions of higher education from displaying the national motto in their classrooms.
- HB 2209 (Lozano) would establish the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program and create an allotment and outcomes bonus under the Foundation School Program to support the program.
- HB 2234 (Senfronia Thompson) relates to certain policies and procedures for the placement and use of video cameras in certain classrooms, including classrooms that provide special education services.
- HB 2647 (Sherman) would allow the board of trustees to create a nonvoting student trustee position on the board.
- HB 2890 (Cunningham) would increase the vote threshold that the State Board of Education must achieve to veto any charter approvals made by the commissioner of education from a majority of members present and voting to two-thirds of total membership.
- HB 2892 (Buckley) would require a school district to transfer a child of a military servicemember to another campus within the district or to another district upon the servicemember’s request and to the campus requested. A district would not be required to provide transportation for this transfer.
- HB 3803 (Cunningham) would allow parents and guardians to have their children repeat a grade up to grade 8 instead of grade 3. Parents would also be able to request that their child retake a course in high school unless the school determines their child has met all graduation requirements.
- HCR 90 (Kuempel) would designate April 6 as Texas High School Coaches Day for a 10-year period ending in 2033.
Find information on providing in-person testimony.
Submit comments electronically.
Watch the live hearing at 8 a.m., Tuesday, March 28.
