Texas Senate Committee Reviews Bills to Improve Classroom Environment

The Texas Senate Education K-16 Committee discussed a series of bills aimed at improving the classroom environment in public schools. According to committee chair, Senator Brandon Creighton (R), a large survey of Texas educators revealed that classroom safety and administrative support are the top concerns for teachers. In response, Creighton introduced Senate Bill 27, part of a package called the Teacher Bill of Rights.

“We hear you, and the Texas Legislature is working in response, and we will have your back,” Creighton said.

The bill would allow teachers to remove disruptive or abusive students from their classrooms and would require a return-to-class plan and written consent from the same teacher before the student could return. The decision can be appealed by the student and examined by a placement review panel.

SB 27 also addresses administrative issues, including ensuring that unpaid leave is fairly calculated based on time missed. It would prohibit the state certification board from penalizing teachers who terminate their contracts early due to personal or family illness or relocation. The bill also proposes offering grants to school districts to incentivize rehiring retired teachers and encouraging teachers to obtain high-demand certifications, such as bilingual or special education, by waving the cost of the first exam. Additionally, it would commission a time study on teacher workloads to streamline the many non-teaching tasks educators handle daily.

Senator Charles Perry (R) also introduced a series of bills to the Texas Senate, to increase consequences for students who are disruptive or violent. These bills would allow a student to be sent to a disciplinary alternative educational placement if they are repeatedly disruptive. Furthermore, any student who assaults a teacher, on or off-campus, would be expelled from campus and sent to a Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) run by the state juvenile justice system.

“It’s a common sense bill: if you hit a teacher, you get removed from the class,” Sen. Perry said.

These proposed bills are part of efforts to improve the classroom environment and support teachers in Texas public schools.