Steve Lechlow, TEA’s deputy commissioner for governance, told the board the State Board of Education is responsible for trustee training required by Senate Bill 204 and outlined a planned timeline and collaboration with agency staff.

"The legislature has given you guys ownership over this requirement, and it must be, made available by 04/01/2026," Lechlow said, describing statutory timelines and the board’s role in developing content. He said the agency staff will collaborate with the board to produce a syllabus for the board’s review and that the board may convene a small work group to help draft the content.

Marion Scheidt (TEA staff) said the agency is drafting a parental‑rights handbook that must be written in plain language, updated annually and posted publicly; the handbook deadline is Jan. 1, 2026. Scheidt also said that under Senate Bill 12 the agency already published a statutory parental‑rights form for districts to use, and that TEA intends the form, handbook and training to be coherent resources for districts and families.

Lechlow said the board will receive a syllabus and suggested topics at an upcoming meeting and that revisions to Rule 61.1 (school board training rule) will also be presented in January to align governance authority with the statutory requirement. He proposed a small SBOE work group to collaborate with agency staff to produce the training materials.

Public comment included local volunteer Steven Swanson, who urged that the training and materials emphasize existing statutory parental rights and district‑level practice, and who offered resources and written materials to the board.

No formal vote on the syllabus or training materials was recorded; TEA and the board outlined a schedule for draft materials and further consideration ahead of the April 1, 2026 availability deadline.