Changes will be coming to school districts across Texas after the 89th session of the Texas Legislature ended June 2 and Gov. Greg Abbott signed dozens of education-related bills into law – including banning cellphones and requiring the Ten Commandments in the classroom.
Besides passing the first school funding boost since 2019 and an education savings account program that allows parents to pay for private school using state funds, lawmakers approved a wide range of measures related to graduation and curriculum requirements, parental rights and student cellphone use.
Some gained bipartisan approval, while others had lawmakers bitterly divided over Republican efforts to infuse religion in public education and ban diversity, equity and inclusion.
“This session was particularly intense in creating rules for school districts, and unfortunately, those rules come with a lot of uncertainty and a lot of misguidance on the day-to-day operations in the classroom. Many of these are political in nature and really place school districts in the position where they have to worry about compliance with laws that have nothing to do with instruction,” said Gustavo Reveles, who represents El Paso on the Texas State Board of Education. The board is responsible for setting guidelines and approving curriculum under new state laws.
Many of these laws took effect immediately after being signed by the governor, giving school districts little time to craft policies and procedures to ensure they are adhering to them, said Reveles, who is also communications director for the Canutillo Independent School District.
Most also came with no additional funding.
More changes may be on the way after Abbott called for a special session that started Monday where lawmakers will decide whether to ban the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR test, and develop a new way to measure student progress.
These are some of the new laws that will affect how schools operate starting in the coming school year.
Cellphone ban
Students won’t be allowed to use their cellphones and other personal communications devices in schools during the school day. This includes tablets, smartwatches, radios, pagers, or any other electronic device capable of telecommunication or digital communication.
While most schools already had policies that prohibited cell phone use during class, districts must now either ban them from the property entirely or designate a method for their storage during the school day.
Under House Bill 1481, school boards must adopt a policy designating a method to store students’ devices and outline discipline measures for students who break the policy, including confiscation of the phones.
The Ysleta Independent School District released its cell phone policy Friday, which will take effect July 28, the first day of school. Electronic devices will need to be kept in students’ backpacks or in a designated storage area. Only high school students will be allowed to use them during lunch, and all students will be allowed to use them during an emergency.
The El Paso Independent School District said online that its cellphone ban will go into effect when school starts Aug. 4, but has not outlined a policy.
The Socorro Independent School District has not published information on a new cell phone policy.
School boards have until Sept. 18 to adopt the policy.
Reveles said the bill does not give school districts guidance on how to implement the policy or consequences for students who don’t comply.
“It really will be up to the school districts to do this,” Reveles said.
Some school districts in states with cellphone bans use specialized pouches with a digital lock that can be opened at the end of the school day. Others have staff collect devices at the beginning of the day and return them when school is over.
SB 1481 does not allocate funds for districts to implement the ban.
Reveles said this could be costly for school districts depending on how they choose to implement the ban.
“In case school districts wanted to be in full fidelity with this law and do things like purchase cellphone pouches or any other mechanism to be in compliance, it forces them to spend money during a time when the state deferred their responsibility to fund schools, so it adds to the burden of school districts,” Reveles said.
Students with disabilities will still be allowed to keep their electronic devices if they are required under their individualized education plan.
Displaying the Ten Commandments in class
Public schools in Texas will need to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom starting this coming school year – although they are not required to purchase any nor will the state provide them.
Schools must accept donations that fit state requirements, however.
Under Senate Bill 10, the poster or framed copy of the religious text must be at least 16-by-20 inches.
Personal financial literacy class a graduation requirement
Students entering ninth grade this coming school year will now need to complete a financial literacy class to graduate from high school.
House Bill 27 requires students to complete at least one-half credit in personal financial literacy as well as one credit in economics, world geography or world history to graduate.
Previously, students needed to complete three credits in social studies, including at least one-half credit in economics or personal financial literacy and economics.
Parental Bill of Rights and ban on DEI
Senate Bill 12 establishes a series of sweeping policy changes that supporters say would strengthen parents’ rights in schools and ban any sort of DEI policies and programs, which critics say will disproportionately harm minority students.
The bill prohibits schools from providing instruction, guidance, activities or programming and from hosting student clubs related to sexual orientation and gender identity. It also requires parental permission for students to join a club, regardless of its purpose.
This means student-run groups, such as the Gender and Sexualities Alliance, meant to give LGBTQ students a space to build community and discuss the issues that affect them, will be banned from schools.
Under the bill, schools will now be required to offer at least two in-person parent-teacher conferences per year.
SB 12 also requires schools to notify parents of certain incidents regarding their children, including if a school employee suspects a crime has been committed against a student and any changes in services related to the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health.
Previously, teachers were only required to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
School districts need to get written consent from parents before a district can administer wellbeing questionnaires or health screenings, and for students to take sex education lessons.
Previously, parents were able to opt their students out of taking sex education classes or health-related surveys. Those who didn’t opt out, automatically took these classes or questionnaires.
In recent years, El Paso ISD has been working on making education more equitable for students in the district, including developing a funding model that allocates resources based on campus’ specific needs.
The district is also conducting an equity audit that resulted from a settlement agreement after a local group sued the district in 2020, alleging it had discriminated against poor, Hispanic and Mexican American families when it closed Alta Vista, Beall and Burleson elementary schools in South Central El Paso.
EPISD board President Leah Hanany said these efforts will continue under SB 12.
“The equity audit will remain complement to helping us identify gaps in the learning experience of our students. Senate Bill 12 does not change the Texas Education Agency’s expectation that districts disaggregate student data to inform decisions around instruction and curriculum,” she said.
The bill takes effect Sept. 1.
Praying period in schools
Students may be given a designated time to pray in school under Senate Bill 11. The bill allows school districts to adopt policies to give students and staff a period for prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts.
School boards have until March 1, or six months after the bill’s effective date, to decide if their district will have prayer periods.
Students and employees won’t be allowed to take part in the prayer period unless they turn in a signed consent form stating they give up their right to take legal action against the district because of the policy.
Schools won’t be allowed to broadcast prayer over their intercom systems during the prayer period.
School library books
Librarians will no longer have final say on what books will be allowed in school libraries.
Under Senate Bill 13, school boards will be responsible for overseeing library book approvals and removals.
The bill also allows school boards to create a school advisory council, made up of parents, educators and local community members, to oversee school libraries if parents sign a petition allowing it.
Under SB 13, school districts must give parents access to their full catalogs of library material and give them a way to view what books their child has checked out through an online portal.
The bill also allows parents to submit an appeal or challenge to have books removed from a library.
It takes effect Sept 1.
Requiring disciplinary action against antisemitism
Public schools, colleges and universities will be required to take disciplinary action against students for violating their student code of conduct “that may reasonably be determined to have been motivated by antisemitism.”
Senate Bill 326 requires school districts to use the definition of antisemitism outlined in the Texas Government Code.
Marshals open carry in schools
School marshals will be allowed to openly carry a handgun on school property while in uniform under Senate Bill 870.
A school marshal is an employee who has undergone training and was appointed by their school board to serve as an armed guard, which are required at each campus under Texas law.
No school district in El Paso has approved the use of school marshals.
Previously, school marshals were allowed to carry a concealed handgun or keep it in a locked safe.
Ejecting spectators without warning
Spectators at school athletic events may now be kicked out for unruly behavior without warning.
Senate Bill 2929 allows referees, judges and other officials to eject spectators from school events, regardless of whether it is on district property, without first issuing a verbal reprimand.
Previously, officials could not eject an individual who behaved inappropriately from district property until they were given a warning and persisted.
Parents rights handbook
Parents will be able to access an online handbook outlining their rights regarding their children’s education under Texas law.
Senate Bill 204 requires the Texas Education Agency to create the handbook by January 2026.
Under the bill, school board members will be required to receive training on parents’ rights developed by the State Board of Education.
Excused absences for mental health care
Schools must excuse student absences if they miss school to receive mental health care services or therapy.
While schools were already required to excuse student absences for appointments with health care professionals, Senate Bill 207 amends the law to ensure mental health care is included.
Food additive restrictions in school lunches
Free or reduced school lunches will no longer be allowed to have certain food additives and dyes thought to have negative health effects under Senate Bill 314.
Some of those additives include potassium bromate, which is used in flour to improve the texture of dough, azodicarbonamide, used as a bleaching agent in flour, and propylparaben, used as a food preservative.
The post El Paso schools face cellphone bans, Ten Commandments displays, financial literacy as graduation requirement under new Texas laws appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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