Bill Text: TX HB1690 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to requiring school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and private schools to adopt and implement policies and procedures relating to the care of students diagnosed with concussions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-04 - Referred to Public Education [HB1690 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB1690-Introduced.html
| 86R4081 JES-D | ||
| By: Lucio III | H.B. No. 1690 | |
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| relating to requiring school districts, open-enrollment charter | ||
| schools, and private schools to adopt and implement policies and | ||
| procedures relating to the care of students diagnosed with | ||
| concussions. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Sections 38.034 and 38.035 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 38.034. RETURN-TO-LEARN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR | ||
| STUDENTS DIAGNOSED WITH CONCUSSIONS. (a) Each school district, | ||
| open-enrollment charter school, and private school shall adopt and | ||
| implement policies and procedures regarding a student's return to | ||
| school activities following a concussion diagnosis. | ||
| (b) The policies and procedures adopted under Subsection | ||
| (a) must: | ||
| (1) address the academic needs of a student who has | ||
| been diagnosed with a concussion; | ||
| (2) establish a return-to-learn protocol, based on | ||
| peer-reviewed scientific evidence, for a student's return to | ||
| academic course work and activities following a concussion | ||
| diagnosis; and | ||
| (3) except as provided by Subsection (c), require a | ||
| student who has been diagnosed with a concussion to resume all | ||
| academic activities without any restrictions or modifications | ||
| before: | ||
| (A) initiating the return-to-play protocol | ||
| established under Section 38.153; or | ||
| (B) participating in any physical activity at | ||
| school. | ||
| (c) A student diagnosed with a concussion must have resumed | ||
| all academic activity before: | ||
| (1) the return-to-play protocol established under | ||
| Section 38.153 is initiated; and | ||
| (2) the student may participate in physical activity | ||
| at the school. | ||
| (d) Each school district, open-enrollment charter school, | ||
| and private school shall assign at least one person at each school | ||
| campus to oversee compliance with the return-to-learn protocol | ||
| established under Subsection (b)(2). | ||
| Sec. 38.035. TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS REGARDING | ||
| CONCUSSIONS. (a) Each school district, open-enrollment charter | ||
| school, and private school shall adopt a policy requiring each | ||
| district or school employee or volunteer who has direct contact | ||
| with students to complete not less than two hours of training at | ||
| least once every two years regarding concussions. | ||
| (b) The training required under Subsection (a) must be | ||
| approved by the agency and include information regarding: | ||
| (1) how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a | ||
| concussion; | ||
| (2) the effects of a concussion on a student's academic | ||
| abilities; | ||
| (3) the importance of communication between a parent | ||
| or guardian and educators and health care providers to enable a | ||
| student diagnosed with a concussion to successfully resume all | ||
| academic activities, including establishing and enforcing academic | ||
| restrictions or modifications as needed; and | ||
| (4) the development and management of a plan for the | ||
| care of a student diagnosed with a concussion as the student resumes | ||
| academic activities, including information on: | ||
| (A) modifications to learning environments that | ||
| may assist a student recovering from a concussion; and | ||
| (B) strategies for educators to assist a student | ||
| recovering from a concussion to remain current with course work | ||
| during the student's recovery. | ||
| (c) Each school district, open-enrollment charter school, | ||
| and private school may make materials detailing the signs and | ||
| symptoms of and course of recovery and treatment for concussions | ||
| available to employees, students, and parents or guardians of | ||
| students. The materials may be provided in English and Spanish and | ||
| in electronic or written form. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020 | ||
| 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, 2019. | ||
