Bill Text: TX SB645 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to including antisemitism in the definition of bullying for the purpose of school discipline policies.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-18 - Filed [SB645 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-SB645-Introduced.html
| 89R3986 BCH-D | ||
| By: Zaffirini | S.B. No. 645 | |
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| relating to including antisemitism in the definition of bullying | ||
| for the purpose of school discipline policies. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 37.0832(a), Education Code, is amended | ||
| by amending Subdivision (1) and adding Subdivision (3) to read as | ||
| follows: | ||
| (1) "Bullying": | ||
| (A) means a single significant act or a pattern | ||
| of acts by one or more students directed at another student that | ||
| exploits an imbalance of power and involves engaging in written or | ||
| verbal expression, expression through electronic means, or | ||
| physical conduct that satisfies the applicability requirements | ||
| provided by Subsection (a-1), and that: | ||
| (i) has the effect or will have the effect | ||
| of physically harming a student, damaging a student's property, or | ||
| placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student's person | ||
| or of damage to the student's property; | ||
| (ii) is sufficiently severe, persistent, or | ||
| pervasive enough that the action or threat creates an intimidating, | ||
| threatening, or abusive educational environment for a student; | ||
| (iii) materially and substantially | ||
| disrupts the educational process or the orderly operation of a | ||
| classroom or school; or | ||
| (iv) infringes on the rights of the victim | ||
| at school; and | ||
| (B) includes cyberbullying and antisemitism. | ||
| (3) "Antisemitism" means conduct described by | ||
| Paragraph (1)(A) that is based on a certain perception of Jews that | ||
| may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. The term includes | ||
| rhetorical and physical acts of antisemitism directed toward Jewish | ||
| or non-Jewish individuals or their property or toward Jewish | ||
| community institutions and religious facilities. Examples of | ||
| antisemitism are included with the International Holocaust | ||
| Remembrance Alliance's "Working Definition of Antisemitism" | ||
| adopted on May 26, 2016. | ||
| 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. | ||
