bill giving students input on school improvement plans

The text as introduced · 902 words

89R13866 AND-D

By: Johnson
H.B. No. 3939

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to student input for school district and campus

improvement plans.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 11.251, Education Code, is amended by

amending Subsections (b) and (g) and adding Subsection (b-1) to

read as follows:

(b) The board shall adopt a policy to establish a district-

and campus-level planning and decision-making process that will

involve the professional staff of the district, parents, students,

and community members in establishing and reviewing the district's

and campuses' educational plans, goals, performance objectives,

and major classroom instructional programs. The board shall

establish a procedure under which meetings are held regularly by

district- and campus-level planning and decision-making committees

that include representative professional staff, including, if

practicable, at least one representative with the primary

responsibility for educating students with disabilities, parents

of students enrolled in the district, business representatives, and

community members and that may include students enrolled in the

district . The committees shall include a business representative

without regard to whether the representative resides in the

district or whether the business the person represents is located

in the district. The board, or the board's designee, shall

periodically meet with the district-level committee to review the

district-level committee's deliberations.

(b-1) The board shall adopt policies providing avenues for

students to participate in the district- and campus-level planning

and decision-making process, such as by inviting students to attend

committee meetings or providing student input boxes at each campus

through which a student may provide input anonymously.

(g) This section does not:

(1) prohibit the board from conducting meetings with

teachers or groups of teachers other than the meetings described by

this section;

(2) prohibit the board from establishing policies

providing avenues for input from others, including [ students or ]

paraprofessional staff, in district- or campus-level planning and

decision-making;

(3) limit or affect the power of the board to govern

the public schools; or

(4) create a new cause of action or require collective

bargaining.

SECTION 2. Section 11.252, Education Code, is amended by

adding Subsection (a-1) and amending Subsection (e) to read as

follows:

(a-1) A district improvement plan must identify the student

input that was incorporated into the plan.

(e) The district-level committee established under Section

11.251 shall hold at least one public meeting per year. The

required meeting shall be held after receipt of the annual district

performance report from the agency for the purpose of discussing

the performance of the district and the district performance

objectives. District policy and procedures must be established to

ensure that systematic communications measures are in place to

periodically obtain broad-based community, parent, student, and

staff input and to provide information to those persons regarding

the recommendations of the district-level committee. This section

does not create a new cause of action or require collective

bargaining.

SECTION 3. Sections 11.253(d) and (g), Education Code, are

amended to read as follows:

(d) Each campus improvement plan must:

(1) assess the academic achievement for each student

in the school using the achievement indicator system as described

by Section 39.053;

(2) set the campus performance objectives based on the

achievement indicator system, including objectives for special

needs populations, including students in special education

programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29;

(3) identify how the campus goals will be met for each

student;

(4) determine the resources needed to implement the

plan;

(5) identify staff needed to implement the plan;

(6) set timelines for reaching the goals;

(7) measure progress toward the performance

objectives periodically to ensure that the plan is resulting in

academic improvement;

(8) include goals and methods for violence prevention

and intervention on campus;

(9) provide for a program to encourage parental

involvement at the campus; [ and ]

(10) if the campus is an elementary, middle, or junior

high school, set goals and objectives for the coordinated health

program at the campus based on:

(A) student fitness assessment data, including

any data from research-based assessments such as the school health

index assessment and planning tool created by the federal Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention;

(B) student academic performance data;

(C) student attendance rates;

(D) the percentage of students who are

educationally disadvantaged;

(E) the use and success of any method to ensure

that students participate in moderate to vigorous physical activity

as required by Section 28.002(l); and

(F) any other indicator recommended by the local

school health advisory council ; and

(11) identify the student input that was incorporated

into the plan .

(g) Each campus-level committee shall hold at least one

public meeting per year. The required meeting shall be held after

receipt of the annual campus rating from the agency to discuss the

performance of the campus and the campus performance objectives.

District policy and campus procedures must be established to ensure

that systematic communications measures are in place to

periodically obtain broad-based community, parent, student, and

staff input, and to provide information to those persons regarding

the recommendations of the campus-level committees.

SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026

school year.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.