85R6883 MEW-F     By: Blanco H.B. No. 1042       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to student access to public school instructional materials   and technology.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 26.006, Education Code, is amended by   amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read   as follows:          (c)  A student's parent is entitled to request that the   school district or open-enrollment charter school the student   attends allow the student to take home any instructional materials   used by the student.  Subject to the availability of the   instructional materials, the district or school shall honor the   request.  A student who takes home instructional materials must   return the instructional materials to school at the beginning of   the next school day if requested to do so by the student's teacher.     A school district or open-enrollment charter school must provide   the instructional materials to the student in printed book format   if the student does not have reliable access to technology at the   student's home.  In this subsection, "instructional material" has   the meaning assigned by Section 31.002.          (d)  A school district or open-enrollment charter school   must document each parental request made under Subsection (c) to   allow a student to take home instructional material used by the   student that the district or school denies.  The documentation must   include the reasons for denying the request.  Not later than the   30th day after the date the district or school receives the request,   the district or school must report to the agency that the request   has been denied.           (e)  Not later than September 1 of each year, the agency   shall submit an annual report to the legislature that includes the   number of parental requests made under Subsection (c) to allow a   student to take home instructional material used by the student   that each school district and open-enrollment charter school denied   and the reasons for the denial.          SECTION 2.  Section 26.006, Education Code, as amended by   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.