Bill Text: TX SB490 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to school counselors in public schools.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-09 - Effective immediately [SB490 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SB490-Enrolled.html
S.B. No. 490 |
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relating to school counselors in public schools. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 33.007, Education Code, is amended by | ||
amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as | ||
follows: | ||
(b) During the first school year a student is enrolled in a | ||
high school or at the high school level in an open-enrollment | ||
charter school, and again during each year of a student's | ||
enrollment in high school or at the high school level, a school | ||
counselor shall provide information about postsecondary education | ||
to the student and the student's parent or guardian. The | ||
information must include information regarding: | ||
(1) the importance of postsecondary education; | ||
(2) the advantages of earning an endorsement and a | ||
performance acknowledgment and completing the distinguished level | ||
of achievement under the foundation high school program under | ||
Section 28.025; | ||
(3) the disadvantages of taking courses to prepare for | ||
a high school equivalency examination relative to the benefits of | ||
taking courses leading to a high school diploma; | ||
(4) financial aid eligibility; | ||
(5) instruction on how to apply for federal financial | ||
aid; | ||
(6) the center for financial aid information | ||
established under Section 61.0776; | ||
(7) the automatic admission of certain students to | ||
general academic teaching institutions as provided by Section | ||
51.803; | ||
(8) the eligibility and academic performance | ||
requirements for the TEXAS Grant as provided by Subchapter M, | ||
Chapter 56; [ |
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(9) the availability of programs in the district under | ||
which a student may earn college credit, including advanced | ||
placement programs, dual credit programs, joint high school and | ||
college credit programs, and international baccalaureate programs; | ||
and | ||
(10) the availability of education and training | ||
vouchers and tuition and fee waivers to attend an institution of | ||
higher education as provided by Section 54.366 for a student who is | ||
or was previously in the conservatorship of the Department of | ||
Family and Protective Services. | ||
(b-1) When providing information under Subsection (b)(10), | ||
the school counselor must report to the student and the student's | ||
parent or guardian the number of times the counselor has provided | ||
the information to the student. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 39.306, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsection (d-1) to read as follows: | ||
(d-1) The report must also include the number of school | ||
counselors providing counseling services at each campus. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 42.006, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsection (a-2) to read as follows: | ||
(a-2) The commissioner by rule shall require each school | ||
district and open-enrollment charter school to report through the | ||
Public Education Information Management System information | ||
regarding the availability of school counselors at each campus. | ||
The commissioner's rules shall require a district or school to | ||
report the number of full-time equivalent school counselors | ||
providing counseling services at a campus. For purposes of this | ||
subsection, "full-time equivalent school counselor" means 40 hours | ||
of counseling services a week. The agency shall maintain the | ||
information provided in accordance with this subsection. | ||
SECTION 4. 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, 2017. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 490 passed the Senate on | ||
March 29, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2; and that | ||
the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 27, 2017, by the | ||
following vote: Yeas 28, Nays 3. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 490 passed the House, with | ||
amendment, on May 24, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 112, | ||
Nays 34, two present not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
Approved: | ||
______________________________ | ||
Date | ||
______________________________ | ||
Governor |