Bill Text: TX SB201 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to social workers employed by school districts.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-11-12 - Filed [SB201 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-SB201-Introduced.html
| 89R2712 RDR-F | ||
| By: Menéndez | S.B. No. 201 | |
|
|
||
|
|
||
| relating to social workers employed by school districts. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 33, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 33.905 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 33.905. SOCIAL WORKERS. (a) In this section, "school | ||
| social work services" means services specialized to assist students | ||
| and families and designed to alleviate barriers to learning, | ||
| connect the home, the community, and the school, advocate for the | ||
| best interest and academic success of students, strengthen | ||
| relationships, and assist with basic and biopsychosocial needs. | ||
| (b) A social worker employed by a school district: | ||
| (1) shall: | ||
| (A) collaborate with district administrators and | ||
| other district professionals to enhance students' learning | ||
| environments; | ||
| (B) as appropriate, serve on district committees | ||
| that address education and safety issues for students; and | ||
| (C) collaborate with parents, teachers, district | ||
| administrators, and the community to develop and implement school | ||
| violence prevention, suicide prevention, and child abuse | ||
| identification strategies; and | ||
| (2) may provide: | ||
| (A) school social work services to students and | ||
| families in the district; and | ||
| (B) behavioral health referrals and group | ||
| intervention services as needed. | ||
| (c) The board of trustees of a school district may adopt a | ||
| policy that requires a social worker employed by the district to | ||
| spend at least 80 percent of the social worker's total work time on | ||
| duties described by this section. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026 | ||
| 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, 2025. | ||
