On Tuesday, April 30, 2019, the House Public Education Committee heard, for the first time, bills sent down from the upper chamber. The Senate bills heard were those that did not have a companion (a similar or identical) House bill. Seven bills were on the agenda, covering topics from opioid addiction and abuse in schools to military-connected students.

ATPE registered support for the following bills heard today:

• SB 1451 (Taylor, R-Friendswood): Would prohibit a teacher from being assigned an area of deficiency in an appraisal solely on the basis of disciplinary referrals or documentation of student conduct. The bill also prohibits a district from disciplining a teacher for documenting bad student behavior.
• SB 2432 (Taylor, R-Friendswood): Would allow for the disciplinary removal of a student who "engages in conduct that contains the elements of the offense of harassment" against a school employee. This includes harassment of teachers and threats made by students to inflict harm.

• SB 54 (Zaffirini, D-Laredo): Would require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to conduct a study on how to appropriately evaluate students who spend at least 50% of their instructional day in a regional day school for the deaf.
• SB 372 (Campbell, R-New Braunfels): Would allow the governing board of a charter to employ security personnel and enter into memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with law enforcement to have school resource officers (SROs).
• SB 435 (Nelson, R-Flower Mound): Would add a duty to local school advisory health committees (SHACs) to recommend appropriate grade levels and curriculum for instruction regarding opioid addiction and abuse and methods of administering an opioid antagonist (a substance that would inhibit or interfere with the effects of an opioid).
• SB 522 (Zaffirini, D-Laredo): Would replace the term "functionally blind" with wording from the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Would specify that an individualized education plan (IEP) for a student with visual impairment is required to provide instruction in braille if deemed appropriate by the student's IEP team, based on an evaluation of their proficiency in relevant skills and their instructional needs.
• SB 1557 (Lucio, D-Brownsville): Would establish the Purple Star Campus program, which would recognize campuses that develop practices and programs catering to military-connected students.

The House Public Education committee plans to meet again to hear more Senate bills that don't have House companions next Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at 8 A.M. Furthermore, the Committee will likely vote out Senate bills at some point this week, potentially as early as today. Stay tuned to Teach the Vote for legislative updates.