Belton district lays out implementation plan for Senate Bill 12 and expands ‘Parents as Partners’ hub

The Belton and Business School District on Monday walked trustees through its implementation plan for Senate Bill 12 and the district’s Parents as Partners program, including a new online hub, consent and opt-out procedures, and reporting steps the district will take with the Texas Education Agency.

The presentation summarized which provisions the district has already implemented, which are in progress and which are awaiting TEA guidance — and it said a resolution demonstrating the district’s intent to comply with Senate Bill 12 would be brought to the board later in the meeting for action.

Scott Goodwin, a district staff member, opened the workshop by framing the topic: “We fully know as educators, we cannot educate our children without the partnership of our parents,” he said. Christine, a district staff member leading the Parents as Partners work, said Senate Bill 12 is “a comprehensive piece of legislation” and that parts of the bill have an implementation date of Sept. 1 but still require TEA guidance before the district can finalize policies.

District leaders said they have divided implementation work into three categories: policy updates and implementation (governance/public participation, teaching and learning, human resources); opportunities already available to parents (consent processes, access to library catalogs, online comment tools); and reporting/transparency requirements the district must fulfill for TEA.

On consent and opt-outs, Dr. Spearman, a district staff member working with nurses, said the recent TEA guidance distinguishes first aid and general caretaking procedures from services that require consent: “We do not need consent for general caretaking procedures,” she said, adding that the district has long provided life‑saving care without prior consent when staff determine it is necessary. District staff also said parental opt-outs must be documented in writing.

District staff described the Parents as Partners webpage, which they said will act as a single hub for parent rights, grievance information, library catalogs, instructional-material review processes, event listings and archived recordings of online sessions. Becca, a district staff member who navigated the page during the presentation, said recorded sessions and slide decks will be posted for parents who cannot attend live.

Trustees asked practical questions about default handling when families do not return forms, how the district documents phone confirmations, and how easy the hub will be to navigate. District staff said they have received a large share of returns in the initial rollout — “we've received 11,000 forms back” and staff are calling about the remaining roughly 2,000, and that overall return rate is “nearly 80%” in about two weeks — and that phone agreements must be followed up in writing. The district said it uses ParentSquare for tracking and reminders.

On reporting and certification, staff said some compliance elements will need board action and some will be handled administratively, depending on forthcoming TEA forms and guidance. Christine told trustees the certification process with TEA typically occurs in September but the district is still waiting for specific instructions.

A resolution assembled by staff lists about 25 items tied to the bill; Christine said the resolution is not legally required but is intended to show families and the community the district’s commitment to comply while policies and guidance are finalized. The board did not take a vote on the resolution during the portion of the transcript provided.

Trustees and staff repeatedly emphasized the operational challenges of the new requirements — more documentation, more family outreach — and several trustees urged support for staff implementing the changes. The presentation concluded with a schedule of Parents as Partners events (in-person and online), targeted communications for specialized audiences (for example, bilingual families), and a plan to continue surveying parents for feedback.

The board workshop began at 5:00 p.m. and adjourned at 5:36 p.m., with the SB12 resolution listed as an action item later in the meeting.