Troxclair School Transparency Bill

The text as introduced · 1,459 words

89R8105 MEW-D

By: Troxclair
H.B. No. 5125

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to measures to ensure public school transparency and

accountability, including school district board of trustees

meeting requirements, posting of certain information on a public

school's Internet website, the creation of a grievance portal, and

the inclusion of a transparency and accountability domain in the

public school accountability system.

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

SECTION 1. Section 11.0621, Education Code, is amended to

read as follows:

Sec. 11.0621. MEETINGS. (a) The minutes, certified

agenda, or recording, as applicable, of a regular or special

meeting of the board of trustees must reflect each member's

attendance at or absence from the meeting. The minutes or tape

recording of an open meeting must be accessible to the public in

accordance with Section 551.022, Government Code.

(b) The board of trustees of a school district shall:

(1) conduct all business of the board in a public and

open manner unless the board is addressing sensitive personnel

issues or a matter required to be kept confidential by law;

(2) allow public comment at the beginning of each

regular board meeting; and

(3) address any issue raised during the public comment

period under Subdivision (2) during the same board meeting in which

the issue was raised.

SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 11, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 11.1519 to read as follows:

Sec. 11.1519. POSTING OF DISTRICT RULES, POLICIES, AND

PROCEDURES. (a) A school district shall post on the district's

Internet website in a manner easily accessible to the public each

rule, policy, and procedure applicable to students or staff adopted

by the district.

(b) A school district must update the district's Internet

website not later than the 30th day after the date on which the

district adopts or modifies a rule, policy, or procedure applicable

to students or staff.

SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 12, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 12.142 to read as follows:

Sec. 12.142. POSTING OF SCHOOL RULES, POLICIES, AND

PROCEDURES. (a) An open-enrollment charter school shall post on

the school's Internet website in a manner easily accessible to the

public each rule, policy, and procedure applicable to students or

staff adopted by the school.

(b) An open-enrollment charter school must update the

school's Internet website not later than the 30th day after the date

on which the school adopts or modifies a rule, policy, or procedure

applicable to students or staff.

SECTION 4. Chapter 26, Education Code, is amended by adding

Section 26.0115 to read as follows:

Sec. 26.0115. GRIEVANCE PORTAL. The agency shall develop

an Internet portal through which a person may file a grievance

concerning a school district or open-enrollment charter school.

The portal must allow for a person to easily:

(1) file a grievance and forward the grievance to the

appropriate district or school;

(2) track a grievance that has been filed through the

portal;

(3) access a copy of the resolution of the grievance;

and

(4) if the grievance is not resolved to the person's

satisfaction by the district or school, file an appeal with the

commissioner in accordance with Section 7.057.

SECTION 5. Subchapter C, Chapter 31, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 31.107 to read as follows:

Sec. 31.107. POSTING OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. A school

district or open-enrollment charter school shall post on the

district's or school's Internet website in an easily accessible

manner the list of instructional materials used by the district or

school for each grade level.

SECTION 6. Subchapter B, Chapter 33, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 33.028 to read as follows:

Sec. 33.028. POSTING OF LIBRARY CATALOG. A school district

or open-enrollment charter school shall post on the district's or

school's Internet website in an easily accessible manner the

catalog of available library materials at each school library in

the district or school.

SECTION 7. Section 39.053(c), Education Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(c) School districts and campuses must be evaluated based on

four [ three ] domains of indicators of achievement adopted under

this section that include:

(1) in the student achievement domain, indicators of

student achievement that must include:

(A) for evaluating the performance of districts

and campuses generally:

(i) an indicator that accounts for the

results of assessment instruments required under Sections

39.023(a), (c), and (l), as applicable for the district and campus,

including the results of assessment instruments required for

graduation retaken by a student, aggregated across grade levels by

subject area, including:

(a) for the performance standard

determined by the commissioner under Section 39.0241(a), the

percentage of students who performed satisfactorily on the

assessment instruments, aggregated across grade levels by subject

area; and

(b) for the college readiness

performance standard as determined under Section 39.0241, the

percentage of students who performed satisfactorily on the

assessment instruments, aggregated across grade levels by subject

area; and

(ii) an indicator that accounts for the

results of assessment instruments required under Section

39.023(b), as applicable for the district and campus, including the

percentage of students who performed satisfactorily on the

assessment instruments, as determined by the performance standard

adopted by the agency, aggregated across grade levels by subject

area; and

(B) for evaluating the performance of high school

campuses and districts that include high school campuses,

indicators that account for:

(i) students who satisfy the Texas Success

Initiative (TSI) college readiness benchmarks prescribed by the

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under Section 51.334 on

an assessment instrument in reading or mathematics designated by

the coordinating board under that section;

(ii) students who satisfy relevant

performance standards on advanced placement tests or similar

assessments;

(iii) students who earn dual course credits

in the dual credit courses;

(iv) students who enlist in the armed

forces of the United States or the Texas National Guard;

(v) students who earn industry

certifications;

(vi) students admitted into postsecondary

industry certification programs that require as a prerequisite for

entrance successful performance at the secondary level;

(vii) students whose successful completion

of a course or courses under Section 28.014 indicates the student's

preparation to enroll and succeed, without remediation, in an

entry-level general education course for a baccalaureate degree or

associate degree;

(viii) students who successfully met

standards on a composite of indicators that through research

indicates the student's preparation to enroll and succeed, without

remediation, in an entry-level general education course for a

baccalaureate degree or associate degree;

(ix) high school graduation rates, computed

in accordance with standards and definitions adopted in compliance

with the Every Student Succeeds Act (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.)

subject to the exclusions provided by Subsections (g), (g-1),

(g-2), (g-3), and (g-4);

(x) students who successfully completed an

OnRamps dual enrollment course;

(xi) students who successfully completed a

practicum or internship approved by the State Board of Education;

(xii) students who are awarded an associate

degree; and

(xiii) students who successfully completed

a program of study in career and technical education;

(2) in the school progress domain, indicators for

effectiveness in promoting student learning, which must include:

(A) for assessment instruments, including

assessment instruments under Subdivisions (1)(A)(i) and (ii), the

percentage of students who met the standard for improvement, as

determined by the commissioner; and

(B) for evaluating relative performance, the

performance of districts and campuses compared to similar districts

or campuses; [ and ]

(3) in the closing the gaps domain, the use of

disaggregated data to demonstrate the differentials among students

from different racial and ethnic groups, socioeconomic

backgrounds, and other factors, including:

(A) students formerly receiving special

education services;

(B) students continuously enrolled; and

(C) students who are mobile ; and

(4) in the transparency and accountability domain,

indicators for effectiveness in promoting transparency and

accountability with respect to district or campus operations .

SECTION 8. Section 39.301(d), Education Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(d) Performance on the indicators described by Sections

39.053(c)(1), (2), and (3) [ Section 39.053(c) ] and Subsections

(c)(3), (4), and (9) of this section must be based on longitudinal

student data that is disaggregated by the bilingual education or

special language program, if any, in which emergent bilingual

students, as defined by Section 29.052, are or former emergent

bilingual students were enrolled. If a student described by this

subsection is not or was not enrolled in specialized language

instruction, the number and percentage of those students shall be

provided.

SECTION 9. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026

school year.

SECTION 10. 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.