Bill Text: TX SB1049 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to excused absences from public school for the purpose of attending a released time course.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Passed) 2025-06-20 - Effective on 9/1/25 [SB1049 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-SB1049-Enrolled.html
| S.B. No. 1049 | ||
|
|
||
| relating to excused absences from public school for the purpose of | ||
| attending a released time course. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 25.087(b), Education Code, is amended to | ||
| read as follows: | ||
| (b) A school district shall excuse a student from attending | ||
| school for: | ||
| (1) the following purposes, including travel for those | ||
| purposes: | ||
| (A) observing religious holy days; | ||
| (B) attending a required court appearance; | ||
| (C) appearing at a governmental office to | ||
| complete paperwork required in connection with the student's | ||
| application for United States citizenship; | ||
| (D) taking part in a United States naturalization | ||
| oath ceremony; | ||
| (E) serving as an election clerk; [ |
||
| (F) if the student is in the conservatorship of | ||
| the Department of Family and Protective Services, participating, as | ||
| determined and documented by the department, in an activity: | ||
| (i) ordered by a court under Chapter 262 or | ||
| 263, Family Code, provided that it is not practicable to schedule | ||
| the participation outside of school hours; or | ||
| (ii) required under a service plan under | ||
| Subchapter B, Chapter 263, Family Code; or | ||
| (G) attending a course under Section 25.0875; | ||
| (2) a temporary absence resulting from an appointment | ||
| with health care professionals for the student or the student's | ||
| child if the student commences classes or returns to school on the | ||
| same day of the appointment; or | ||
| (3) an absence resulting from a serious or | ||
| life-threatening illness or related treatment that makes the | ||
| student's attendance infeasible, if the student or the student's | ||
| parent or guardian provides a certification from a physician | ||
| licensed to practice medicine in this state specifying the | ||
| student's illness and the anticipated period of the student's | ||
| absence relating to the illness or related treatment. | ||
| SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 25.0875 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 25.0875. EXCUSED ABSENCE TO ATTEND RELEASED TIME | ||
| COURSE. (a) In this section, "released time course" means a course | ||
| in religious instruction offered by a private entity. | ||
| (b) A school district or open-enrollment charter school | ||
| shall, on the request of a parent or legal guardian of a student | ||
| enrolled at the district or school and subject to the policy adopted | ||
| under Subsection (c), excuse the student from attending school to | ||
| attend a released time course for at least one but not more than | ||
| five hours a week. | ||
| (c) Each school district and open-enrollment charter school | ||
| shall adopt a policy for excusing a student enrolled at the district | ||
| or school from attending school to attend a released time course. | ||
| The policy: | ||
| (1) must require: | ||
| (A) the student's parent or legal guardian to | ||
| provide written consent for the student to attend the released time | ||
| course; | ||
| (B) the private entity offering the released time | ||
| course to maintain attendance records and make the records | ||
| available to the district or school at which the student is | ||
| enrolled; | ||
| (C) the private entity, parent or legal guardian, | ||
| or student to assume responsibility for transportation, including | ||
| transportation for a student with a disability, to and from any | ||
| location at which the released time course is offered; | ||
| (D) the private entity to make provisions for and | ||
| assume liability for the student enrolled in the released time | ||
| course while the student is under the private entity's care; and | ||
| (E) the student to assume responsibility for any | ||
| schoolwork issued during the student's absence; | ||
| (2) must prohibit: | ||
| (A) the district or school from using district or | ||
| school funds, excluding de minimis costs, to facilitate the | ||
| provision of a released time course; and | ||
| (B) the private entity from offering the released | ||
| time course on district or school property, unless permitted under | ||
| a neutral policy of equal access that allows community | ||
| organizations to use district or school property; and | ||
| (3) may not interfere with the ability of the student's | ||
| parent or legal guardian to request or access a released time course | ||
| for the student. | ||
| SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2026, each school | ||
| district and open-enrollment charter school shall adopt the excused | ||
| absence policy required by Section 25.0875, Education Code, as | ||
| added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1049 passed the Senate on | ||
| April 30, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 1. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1049 passed the House on | ||
| May 28, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 123, Nays 12, one | ||
| present not voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| Approved: | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
