Senate Bill 1153

SECTION 3. Section 26.0081, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows:

(c) The agency shall produce and provide to school districts a written explanation of the options and requirements for providing assistance to students who have learning difficulties or who need or may need special education. The explanation must state that a parent is entitled at any time to request an evaluation of the parent's child for special education services under Section 29.004 or for aids, accommodations, or services under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794). Each school year, each district shall provide the written explanation to a parent of each district student by including the explanation in the student handbook or by another means.

(d) Each school year, each school district shall notify a parent of each child receiving assistance from the district for learning difficulties, including through the use of intervention strategies, as that term is defined by Section 26.004, that the district provides that assistance to the child. The notice must:

(1) be written in English or, to the extent practicable, the parent's native language; and

(2) include:

(A) a reasonable description of the assistance, including any instructional strategies used;

(B) information collected regarding any intervention strategies that have been used with the child;

(C) an estimate of the duration for which the assistance will be provided;

(D) the dates on which a report on the child's progress will be provided to the parent; and

(E) a copy of the explanation provided under Subsection (c).

(e) The notice required under Subsection (d) may be provided to a child's parent at a meeting of the child's admission, review, and dismissal committee or of the team established for the child under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794), if applicable.