Relating to parental rights in public education, to the creation of the office of inspector general at the Texas Education Agency, and to the reporting of certain misconduct and child abuse and neglect; creating a criminal offense.
HB 7 expands parental rights in Texas public schools by allowing parents to appeal school district decisions to the Texas Education Agency commissioner if those decisions violate state law or employment contracts causing financial harm to an employee. It creates an office of inspector general at the Texas Education Agency to oversee reporting of child abuse and neglect, making failure to report such incidents a criminal offense. The bill establishes procedures for the commissioner to remand cases back to school districts for additional review if procedural errors or insufficient evidence led to the initial decision. This bill directly affects parents, school districts, and employees, while excluding cases involving extracurricular activities or student disciplinary actions under Chapter 37 of the Education Code.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 14, 2025
Last action May 9, 2025
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
12
Key actions
5
Committee
6
May 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Mar 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Mar 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Mar 14, 2025
Committee
Referred to Public Education
lower
Mar 14, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Jeff Leach
RRepublican
Co
Drew Darby
RRepublican
Co
Jeff Barry
RRepublican
Co
John Lujan
RRepublican
Co
Will Metcalf
RRepublican
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