Bill Text: TX HB367 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to verification of excused absences from public school for students with severe or life-threatening illnesses.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-11-12 - Filed [HB367 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB367-Introduced.html
| 89R2577 PRL-F | ||
| By: Rosenthal | H.B. No. 367 | |
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| relating to verification of excused absences from public school for | ||
| students with severe or life-threatening illnesses. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 25.087, Education Code, is amended by | ||
| amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (g) to read as | ||
| follows: | ||
| (b) A school district shall excuse a student from attending | ||
| school for: | ||
| (1) the following purposes, including travel for those | ||
| purposes: | ||
| (A) observing religious holy days; | ||
| (B) attending a required court appearance; | ||
| (C) appearing at a governmental office to | ||
| complete paperwork required in connection with the student's | ||
| application for United States citizenship; | ||
| (D) taking part in a United States naturalization | ||
| oath ceremony; | ||
| (E) serving as an election clerk; or | ||
| (F) if the student is in the conservatorship of | ||
| the Department of Family and Protective Services, participating, as | ||
| determined and documented by the department, in an activity: | ||
| (i) ordered by a court under Chapter 262 or | ||
| 263, Family Code, provided that it is not practicable to schedule | ||
| the participation outside of school hours; or | ||
| (ii) required under a service plan under | ||
| Subchapter B, Chapter 263, Family Code; | ||
| (2) a temporary absence resulting from an appointment | ||
| with health care professionals for the student or the student's | ||
| child if the student commences classes or returns to school on the | ||
| same day of the appointment; or | ||
| (3) an absence resulting from a serious or | ||
| life-threatening illness or related treatment that makes the | ||
| student's attendance infeasible, if the student or the student's | ||
| parent or guardian provides on a form adopted by the district under | ||
| Subsection (g) a certification from a physician licensed to | ||
| practice medicine in this state specifying the following | ||
| information, as determined by the physician: | ||
| (A) the student's illness; | ||
| (B) a statement that the illness is serious or | ||
| life-threatening; | ||
| (C) [ |
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| absence relating to the illness or related treatment; and | ||
| (D) a statement that the illness makes the | ||
| student's attendance infeasible during the anticipated period of | ||
| absence described by Paragraph (C). | ||
| (g) For purposes of excusing a student with a serious or | ||
| life-threatening illness from attending school under Subsection | ||
| (b)(3), a school district: | ||
| (1) shall adopt a form to provide the certification | ||
| described by that subsection; and | ||
| (2) may not require the student or the student's parent | ||
| or guardian to provide more documentation or information than is | ||
| required by the form adopted under Subdivision (1). | ||
| SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
| of this Act, each school district shall adopt the form required by | ||
| Section 25.087(g), Education Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026 | ||
| school year. | ||
| SECTION 4. 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, 2025. | ||
