85R1231 KKA-D     By: Garcia S.B. No. 196       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to a notification requirement if a public school,   including an open-enrollment charter school, does not have a nurse,   school counselor, or librarian assigned to the school during all   instructional hours.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 25.097 to read as follows:          Sec. 25.097.  PARENTAL NOTIFICATION CONCERNING NURSES,   SCHOOL COUNSELORS, AND LIBRARIANS. (a)  In this section, "nurse"    means a nurse licensed under Chapter 301, Occupations Code.          (b)  A public school, including an open-enrollment charter   school, that does not have a full-time nurse, school counselor, or   librarian or the equivalent of a full-time nurse, school counselor,   or librarian assigned to be present at the school for more than 30   consecutive instructional days during the same school year shall   provide written notice of the absence to the parent of or other   person standing in parental relation to each student enrolled in   the school.          (c)  A school has the equivalent of a full-time nurse, school   counselor, or librarian under Subsection (b) if the school has two   or more nurses, school counselors, or librarians, as applicable,   assigned to the school and the combined presence of the nurses,   school counselors, or librarians, as applicable, covers all regular   student instructional hours at a campus during the regular school   day.          (d)  The principal of the school shall provide the notice   required by Subsection (b) not later than the 30th instructional   day after the first day the school does not have a full-time nurse,   school counselor, or librarian assigned to be present at the   school.          (e)  The school shall:                (1)  make a good faith effort to ensure that the notice   required by this section is provided in a bilingual form to any   parent or other person standing in parental relation whose primary   language is not English; and                (2)  retain a copy of any notice provided under this   section.          (f)  A school may satisfy the notice requirement under   Subsection (d) by posting the notice on the school's Internet   website.  Notice posted under this subsection must be accessible   from the home page of the Internet website by use of not more than   three links.          (g)  A school district that is located in a county with a   population of less than 100,000 is not required to provide the   notice required by this section.          SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018   school year.          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, 2017.