House Pub Ed hearing includes UIL scheduling, bilingual expansion

The following were among the bills heard in Tuesday's HPE hearing. All bills were left pending. The committee voted out some previously heard bills, listed at the bottom of this post.

• HB 2808 by Rep. VanDeaver would prohibit districts from challenging, or TEA from revising, a district's academic or financial accountability rating after the final rating is released.
• HB 4375 by VanDeaver would require that student be instructed in the use of an automated external defibrillator along with CPR instruction.
• HB 2120 by Rep. Keith Bell would allow a barber/cosmetology school at a public school to operate an establishment on the same campus without some of the restrictions that currently apply to other types of barber/cosmetology schools.
• HB 3315 by Rep. K. Bell adds specificity to the laws regarding grievance procedures for parents.
• HB 3991 by Rep. Carrie Isaac creates Texas Fruit and Vegetable Day in public schools.
• HB 1149 by Rep. Valoree Swanson clarifies required parent consent before a district can conduct a psychological evaluation of a student. There was some concern that this might prevent teachers from "checking in" on students' well-being, and the author intends to address that in a substitute version.
• HB 4477 by Rep. Brooks Landgraf repeals current law that prohibits the scheduling of UIL events during STAAR testing.
• HB 4716 by Rep. Christian Manuel would require districts to refer students receiving special education services to a local intellectual and developmental disability authority for services/benefits if the student has or is suspected to have an intellectual or developmental disability.
• HB 2102 by Rep. Craig Goldman would expand the time charters have to notify a school district before opening a new charter school in the area from 18 months to 36 months.
• HB 1926 by Rep. Lacey Hull removes the expiration date for the supplemental special education services program, making it permanent.
• HB 3908 by Rep. Terry Wilson would require instruction for students in grades 6-12 on the dangers of fentanyl poisoning.
• HB 4660 by Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins would allow students to transfer once to a different district for athletic purposes without penalty.
• HB 3303 by Rep. Bobby Guerra would require TEA to develop a plan for expanding bilingual education, including a pathway for 7-12 grade certified teachers to become bilingual educators.
• HB 4342 by Rep. Mihaela Plesa would combine personal financial literacy education with economics.
• HB 2510 by Rep. Briscoe Cain would limit the amount that school districts could spend on certain proceedings, including disputes between the district and an employee, to no more than $10,000; it would also require school boards to post online information about any contract for which the district did not use competitive bidding.
  

The following bills heard in previous meetings were favorably voted out:

• HB 768 by Rep. Alma Allen would allow support employees to use personal leave during school holidays in order to receive pay.
• HB 1225 by Rep. WIll Metcalf would ensure that parents could require a paper version of state assessments.
• HB 1614 by Rep. Harold Dutton provides that students eligible for the subsidized child-care program administered by the Texas Workforce Commission would be eligible for grants for free prekindergarten.
• HB 2164 by Rep. Guerra would enhance TEA monitoring of bilingual education and special language programs.