You can make your voice heard in House committee hearings through the electronic comment portal! Two good bills will be up on Monday in Youth Health and Safety Select, Committee: HB 4624, the anti-identity-based bullying bill and HB 4449, which institutes a study on the school discipline law in Texas. IDRA’s Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., and impacted families will be testifying at the Capitol.

See IDRA’s Tik Tok account or Instagram library for quick video demos on testifying (including details like where to park). We also have an infographic on How to Testify before the Texas Legislature.

Before the committee hearing Monday, IDRA will co-host a news conference with Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Senate Hispanic Caucus. Families, advocates and policymakers will speak for House Bill 4625 to strengthen Texas laws prohibiting and preventing identity-based bullying and harassment in schools.

Approximately one in four students in this country experience bullying related to their race, national origin, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation. Students across the state have been increasingly reporting alarming examples of identity-based bullying in schools – fueled in part by misinformation spread as a result of recent efforts to attack and undermine diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in education.

Watch our social media accounts to see the news conference at 10:00 am Monday.

The House Public Education Committee heard testimony on five private school voucher proposals last week. Several aspects of the proposals focused on the need for additional special education services and support. Proponents of the bills shared challenges receiving special education services in their public schools and pointed to specialized service providers. Opponents of the voucher bills pointed out that, unlike public schools, private schools do not have to meet federal or state legal protections for students with disabilities, including services provided, admission, academic accountability, or other data and reporting requirements.

The Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education voted to send SB 17, the bill prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion activities in higher education, to the full Senate. The bill will be discussed on the Senate floor Monday, April 17, along with the Senate’s version of the state budget.

The Texas CROWN Act to end discrimination against students on the basis of hair texture or protective hairstyle associated with race was passed by the House Thursday by a vote of 143 to 5 (with 2 not voting). For more information, see the bill text and the written testimony and video by IDRA Education Policy Fellow, Alisha Tuff.

The bill to end corporal punishment in Texas schools was passed by Texas House Committee on Youth Health and Safety. See the bill text and the written testimony and video by Morgan Craven, J.D., IDRA National Director of Policy, Advocacy and Community Engagement. Also see IDRA’s issue brief, Hitting Hurts: The Case for Ending Corporal Punishment in Texas Schools. 

HB 3917 Provides Positive Framework for Students, Families and Schools to Address Chronic Absenteeism – Comments in Support of House Bill 3917, submitted to the Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety, April 10, 2023, by IDRA, Texas Appleseed, Texas Center for Justice and Equity, ACLU Texas, and National Association of Social Workers Texas

Reject Harmful Responses to Chronic Absenteeism, Such as Fines and Criminalization – Comments in Opposition to House Bill 3931 and House Bill 2725, submitted to the Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety, April 10, 2023, by IDRA, Texas Appleseed, Texas Center for Justice and Equity, ACLU Texas, and National Association of Social Workers Texas - See video

Education Savings Accounts Should Not Come at the Cost of Improvements to Texas Special Education – IDRA Testimony against HB 3781, submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas House Public Education Committee, April 11, 2023

Education Savings Accounts Contradict Steps to Improve Texas Special Education – IDRA Testimony against SB 1474, submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas Senate Education Committee, April 12, 2023

Texas Emergent Bilingual Students Should Have Quality Programs and Certified Teachers – IDRA Testimony on SB 2497, submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas Senate Education Committee, April 12, 2023

Schools and Families Need to Be Involved and Supported in Plans to Implement Accelerated Learning – TLEEC Testimony on SB 1261: Relating to accelerated learning plans for students not meeting STAAR standards, submitted to the Senate Education Committee, Wednesday, April 12, 2023