HBA-PDH H.B. 708 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 708 By: Tillery Public Education 4/20/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, a parent's rights exist in statute; however, a school district is not required to notify parents of these rights. H.B. 708 requires a school district to provide a parent or guardian of each student with a handbook which includes parental rights and responsibilities. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 26.001, Education Code, as follows: Sec. 26.001. New title: PURPOSE; NOTICE. Requires that a school district provide a parent or guardian of each student a handbook regarding parental rights and responsibilities, as specified in this chapter, at the beginning of the school year or upon enrollment in the school district to encourage the active participation of parents as set forth in Subsection (a). Provides that the handbook must be written on a fifth grade reading level and authorizes that it be drafted by the district- or campus-level planning and decision-making committee established under Subchapter F (District-Level and Site-Based Decision-Making), Chapter 11 (School Districts). Redesignates existing Subsections (b) - (e) to Subsections (c) - (f). SECTION 2. Makes application of this Act prospective beginning with the 1999-2000 school year. Requires the school district to distribute by November 1, 1999, the handbooks for the 1999-2000 school year that would otherwise be distributed at the beginning of the school year under Section 26.001(b), Education Code. SECTION 3.Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.