Bill Text: TX SB426 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to the use of public school counselors' work time.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-05-17 - Committee report sent to Calendars [SB426 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SB426-Comm_Sub.html
| By: Lucio | S.B. No. 426 | |
| (González of El Paso, Wu) | ||
| Substitute the following for S.B. No. 426: No. | ||
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| relating to the use of public school counselors' work time. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 33.006, Education Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows: | ||
| (d) The board of trustees of each school district shall | ||
| adopt a policy that specifies a percentage of a school counselor's | ||
| total work time that the school counselor is required to spend on | ||
| duties that are components of a counseling program developed under | ||
| Section 33.005. For purposes of this subsection, time spent in | ||
| administering assessment instruments or providing other assistance | ||
| in connection with assessment instruments, except time spent in | ||
| interpreting data from assessment instruments, is not considered | ||
| time spent on counseling. Each school in the district shall | ||
| implement the policy. A copy of the policy shall be maintained in | ||
| the office of each school in the district and made available on | ||
| request during regular school hours to district employees, parents | ||
| of district students, and the public. | ||
| (e) A school district may not include a provision in an | ||
| employment contract with a school counselor under Chapter 21 that | ||
| conflicts with the policy required by Subsection (d) or has the | ||
| effect of authorizing a school principal or school district | ||
| superintendent to require a school counselor to generally perform | ||
| duties that are not primarily related to a counseling function. | ||
| SECTION 2. (a) Each school district shall implement a | ||
| policy adopted under Section 33.006(d), Education Code, as added by | ||
| this Act, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. | ||
| (b) Section 33.006(e), Education Code, as added by this Act, | ||
| applies only to a contract executed on or after the effective date | ||
| of this Act. A contract executed before the effective date of this | ||
| Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the contract was | ||
| executed, and the former law is continued in effect for that | ||
| purpose. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
