Committee on Education reports more than a dozen education bills favorably, several unanimously

The Senate Committee on Education reported a package of bills and a concurrent resolution to the full Senate or the local/uncontested calendar on a session that covered a range of education topics including emergency accommodations for students with disabilities, parental-rights measures, curriculum standards and device standards.

Votes at a glance

- Senate Bill 57 (Dean Zaffirini; committee substitute requested by the Texas Education Agency): Committee substitute adopted; reported favorably — final committee record reflected 10 ayes, 0 nays. The substitute requires that emergency accommodations for students with disabilities be explicitly included in IEPs or Section 504 plans, that those accommodations be provided and documented, that administrators responsible for emergency planning receive the information, and that TEA may adopt emergency-preparedness guidelines by rule. (Reported favorably for local calendar.)

- Senate Bill 24 (Vice Chair Campbell; committee substitute): Committee substitute adopted; reported favorably 10 ayes, 0 nays. The bill addresses inclusion of understanding of communist regimes and ideologies in the social-studies curriculum. (Recommended for local calendar.)

- Senate Bill 112 (Senator Hall): Reported favorably 10 ayes, 0 nays. The bill relates to parental rights in public education. (Recommended for local and uncontested calendar.)

- Senate Bill 204 (Senator Paxton; committee substitute): Committee substitute adopted; reported favorably 10 ayes, 0 nays. The bill relates to a handbook on parental rights and training requirements for members of school-district boards of trustees. (Recommended for local and uncontested calendars.)

- Senate Bill 371 (Senator Campbell): Reported favorably 10 ayes, 0 nays. The bill relates to parental approval for student participation in human sexuality instruction. (Recommended for local and uncontested calendars.)

- Senate Bill 400 (Senator Kolkhorst; committee substitute): Committee substitute adopted; reported favorably 10 ayes, 0 nays. The bill relates to requiring parental consent for psychological or psychiatric examination, testing or treatment conducted by a school-district employee. (Reported favorably.)

- Senate Bill 609 (Senator Paxton): Reported favorably to the full Senate; tally announced as 8 ayes and 2 present-not-voting (P&V). The bill requires independent school districts, home-rule districts and open-enrollment charters to comply with legally required policies and clarifies that adopting a policy is not the same as adhering to it.

- Senate Bill 686 (Senator Paxton): Reported favorably 10 ayes, 0 nays. The bill concerns transfer of students between public schools; the sponsor noted the bill carries a fiscal note.

- Senate Bill 1447 (Senator Menendez): Reported favorably 10 ayes, 0 nays. The bill relates to TEA-adopted standards for use of electronic devices and software applications by public schools. (Recommended for local and uncontested calendar.)

- Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 (Senator Eckhardt): Reported favorably 10 ayes, 0 nays. SCR 5 directs the Texas School for the Deaf to name its middle-school gymnasium after a former alumnus. (Recommended for local and uncontested calendars.)

- SJR 12 (Senator Paxton): Reported favorably 9 ayes, 1 nay. SJR 12 proposes a constitutional amendment establishing and reaffirming a parent's right to direct a child's education.

Procedural notes and clarifications

- For SB 57 the committee initially announced “11 ayes and 0 nays” after the roll call; the chair later asked the record to reflect a final vote count of 10 ayes and 0 nays for SB 57. The article records the corrected committee tally.

- For SB 609 the clerk announced the tally as “8 ayes and 2 P&V’s” (present not voting); the transcript did not identify which two senators were recorded P&V for that roll call.

Several other bills on the agenda carried little or no floor-level debate and were advanced after the clerk called the roll. The committee adjourned after reporting the measures and recessing subject to the call of the chair.