Texas Students Head Back to School Under a Wave of New Laws
AUSTIN,TX – as Texas students prepare to return to classrooms,a critically important number of new laws are set to reshape the educational landscape. These changes, passed during the recent legislative session, impact everything from curriculum and school funding to parental rights and student conduct.
Financial Literacy & School Funding Boost: A key development is a new House bill mandating a half-credit personal finance course for all high school students. Simultaneously, Texas public schools are slated to receive $8.5 billion in additional funding. This influx of capital aims to increase compensation for teachers and administrators, bolster early education support, expand special education services, and provide more resources for education preparers.
Healthier School Lunches: Students can also expect changes to their school lunches. Senate Bill 314 bans the use of several food additives linked to negative health impacts, including propylparaben, azodicarbonamide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, titanium dioxide, butylated hydroxyanisole, and red dye 3.Religion & Parental Rights take Center Stage: Debate continues around Senate Bill 11, which would allow dedicated time for prayer and reading of religious texts in schools, pending votes by local school boards. Parents are gaining increased control over their children’s education, with Senate Bill 965 granting public school employees the right to pray during the workday.Furthermore, Senate Bill 965 provides parents with greater liberty regarding the literary materials their children are taught.DEI Ban & Library Access: A statewide ban on diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives is now extending to K-12 public schools under Senate Bill 12. This bill prohibits initiatives supporting diversity and restricts the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity unless parents provide explicit opt-in consent for sex education courses. additionally, Senate Bill 13 empowers parents and school boards to make final decisions regarding books in school libraries. A petition signed by as few as 50 parents, or 10% of the district’s parents (whichever is fewer), can trigger a review of library materials, possibly leading to the removal of books addressing topics like racial injustice, slavery, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Device Policies & Consequences: Schools are now required to establish written policies outlining consequences for violating the new guidelines, with a deadline of September 18th, according to guidance from the Texas Education Agency. These policies will also address student use of personal dialogue devices on school property, as outlined in House Bill 1481.
these changes represent a significant shift in Texas education policy, and their full impact will be observed throughout the upcoming school year.
