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Waxahachie ISD working to implement Senate Bill 12 parental-permission rules; form under review
Summary
A Waxahachie ISD health official told the School Health Advisory Council the district is revising its parental-permission paperwork in response to TEA guidance on Senate Bill 12 and has moved from an opt-out approach toward an opt-in form that is still under legal review.
A Waxahachie ISD health official told the district’s School Health Advisory Council that the district is revising how it collects parental permission for health-related services after guidance from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on Senate Bill 12.
“Initially we generated a form that had a list of all the health care services on it. At the bottom of that list, parents were instructed if they wish to opt out of those services, they needed to contact their campus nurse,” the official said. Subsequent legal guidance and TEA materials prompted the district to draft a second form that asks parents to opt in or opt out to the listed services.
The official said district lawyers are still reviewing the form and that the district does not yet know whether parents will be permitted to say yes or no to each individual service. “I can't tell you that yet because I don't know. We're still working on it,” the official said, adding that the bill is “meaty” and covers a wide range of items beyond nursing — including clubs, curriculum and other services.
The speaker emphasized that the bill centers on parental rights and that districts across Texas are seeking consistent interpretations. The district did not present a final form or a specific implementation timeline at the meeting.
Questions about the mental-health portion of SB 12 were referred to other staff; the health speaker said the nursing piece is the part being addressed in the district’s immediate paperwork changes.
