Texas

I realize this is long but it is very important. I received this from Grassroots America We The People (gawtp.com) by email tonight.

Some of the bills with hearings on Tuesday All Bills are as initially filed or “introduced,” unless otherwise stated House Public Education Committee | Start Time 8:00 AM Bills we Support

HB 1149 Swanson

Requires consent for psychological or psychiatric examination, testing, or treatment conducted by a school district employee.

Parental consent is already required for psychological examination, testing and treatment. But schools aren’t honoring that. Instead, they call tests or assessments “surveys,” or “wellbeing checks.” As the “Social and Emotional Learning” industry makes more headway into schools, parents must absolutely have the right to prevent anyone from soliciting personal and family information from our children without our fully informed consent.

HB 2273 Oliverson

Additional civics TEKS in foundation curriculum and social studies curriculum in public schools.

This bill would add TEKS to include civic rights and responsibilities to preserve our liberties and our state, respect for the preservation of the blessings of liberty earned by prior generations, and how political ideologies such as totalitarianism and Communism conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy that are so essential to our nation.

HB 2510 Cain | et al.

Transparency in certain legal proceedings and contracts involving a school district and a limit on legal fees that may be spent by a school district in certain legal proceedings.

This bill, as introduced, is tremendously helpful to taxpayers and school district stakeholders because it reveals which vendors are receiving contracts without having to go through a competitive bidding process. Transparency is always needed. School boards would be required to vote on whether to exceed a $10,000 spending limit on certain lawsuits against the school district, such as those pertaining to a violation of a parental right. Boards would have to be briefed on the exact status of legal proceedings, as opposed to legal counsel launching and maintaining, de facto, costly legal defense against all allegations.

HB 3315 Bell, Keith | et al.

Relating to a school district's grievance procedure regarding complaints concerning violation of parental rights.

This bill differs from Dutton’s HB 4340 in that it does not give descriptive step by step grievance requirements, and it eliminates the time for a parent to file a complaint. What we like about this bill is that parents are told about the Commissioner Appeals process following a board hearing in a grievance process, and are given instructions on how to file a local grievance at the start of the school year and on the district’s website.

HB 4690 Dutton

Relating to the grievance procedure used by public schools to address complaints by students or parents.

This bill codifies the grievance process for all districts to include timelines, only three local levels, requiring recording of all hearings, all documents used in decision making to be included in the record to serve as a sort of rationale. Allows a person who failed to receive a board decision to appeal to a hearing examiner who will have the authority to grant relief or redress to the complainant. We believe this bill will close some loopholes, removing some of the common tricks used by districts, and is a good step in the right direction.

Bills we Oppose

HB 2125 Bucy

Relating to a required training course for persons serving as special education representatives and hearing officers at impartial due process hearings or as facilitators for individualized education program facilitation.

We do not believe this bill aligns with our strong stance on recognizing parents as the decision-makers when it comes to their child’s education. In this bill, our Special Education parents would lose the ability to hire or enlist the help of an advocate of their choosing. We want parental rights protected, and that means parents decide who they believe will best represent their and their child’s interests in special ed matters.

HB 3908 Wilson | et al.

Relating to fentanyl prevention and drug poisoning awareness education for public school students in grades 6 through 12.

While we recognize the fentanyl abuse and overdose is a crisis, this course delves repeatedly – 10 hours per year – grades 6-12 into dark subjects. It creates a mandate that is practically a whole new health class just devoted to darkness. Parents worry this will worsen the mental health and increase anxiety of students. Also, these topics are covered in health and counseling lessons.

If this is implemented, it must go through the SHAC and require FULL INFORMED CONSENT by Opt-In of parents. To be fully informed in order to give consent, a parent must be properly briefed on the potential negative psychological effects on their children’s and teens’ of being overexposed to dark, scary, scarring, heavy topics. Feelings of hopelessness and doom, feeling responsible for saving everyone else’s life while still in childhood. Triggering a trauma/re-traumatizing a student.

We propose a parent awareness campaign instead.

Bills of Possible Interest. No Position

HB 2120 Bell, Keith | et al.

Relating to the practice of barbering and cosmetology at an establishment at a public secondary school.

Pro: cosmetology students could practice, but on whom?

Con: opens campuses to have business operate for convenience’s sake? It will be a foot in the door for dental clinics, full medical clinics, mental health clinics and more – all removing the parent and with a lot of risk, in current world.

HB 4460 Gervin-Hawkins

Allows a student to transfer schools one time in High School in order to play sports at the receiving district without UIL blocking.

HB 4342 Plesa

Adds financial literacy to economics class required to graduate

Pro: financial literacy would be mandated to be included in Economics class

Con: is that term too open to interpretation?

Click here to email the entire House Public Education Committeein one easy action step!

WEDNESDAY POSITION PAPER Some of the bills with hearings on Wednesday All Bills are as initially filed or “introduced,” unless otherwise stated SENATE PUBLIC EDUCATION schedule to be posted to Texas Capitol website SOON. House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence 8:00am Bills we Support

HB 5290 Dutton

Private right of action against a school district or open enrollment charter school that violates a student or parental right.

This short, simple bill provides for civil court remedies, independent of the local grievance process, for parents whose rights have been violated. Removes sovereign immunity from school districts and assigns an unacceptable performance rating for more than 2 years.

HB 791 Harrison

State agency review of adopted rules

This bill has good enforcement. When the TEA (a state agency) goes to renew rules, it will have to assess the costs of the rule to those regulated by it. We like that this bill contains a method of redress if an expired rule is still being enforced upon those regulated.

Click here to email the entire House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committeein one easy action step!

House State Affairs | Start Time 10:30 AM Bill we Support

HB 3440 Canales

Relating to the governmental bodies required to post on the Internet agendas for meetings under the open meetings law.

Very simple bill requires the agenda to be website-posted for a school board meeting.

Bill we Oppose

HB 3167 Moody

Creates section under Open Records Act to go after “vexatious requestors” and prohibit them from filing future requests for PUBLIC RECORDS.

This offensive/obnoxious bill would target parents who request information on things like curriculum, books, emails, data needed to expose corruption or problem because often those things require multiple filings. The district could call them vexatious and meant to disrupt the business of the district. The AG could rule on this without a trial, and if the requestor (parent!) didn’t like it they would have to go to file an appeal in court. It is intended to crack down on anonymous public information requests.

Click here to email the entire House State Affairs Committee in one easy action step!

House Juvenile Justice & Family Issues | Start time 10:30 AM Bill we Support

HB 2716 Hull

Relating to neglect of a child and the grounds for termination of the parent-child relationship and possession of a child by the Department of Family and Protective Services.

Bill adds that refusal to give your child psychotropic drugs (unless it presents substantial risk, etc) can’t lead to Child Protective Services terminating your parental rights. In the early 2000's we got this into law as far as abuse and neglect goes. However, adding it to this other section of law makes it harder for CPS to actually terminate your rights when you seek a second opinion, or refuse psych drugs except in a limited number of circumstances. Given that schools are one of the major reporters to CPS, and given that Austin Independent School District, for example, made over 875 CPS referrals related to mental health in one school year, we think the bill is worth supporting.

Click here to email the entire House Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee in one easy action step!

NOTE: all subject to change at the will of the Chairs. Public Education to post soon.

ALL Bill analysis is opinion, please follow bill number links to read the bills and discern for yourself! Thank you!

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