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TexasHB213indirectPassed House

Relating to the inclusion of chronically absent students as students at risk of dropping out of school and the collection and reporting of data regarding those students.

  1. Introduced
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. To Governor
  5. Became Law

Overview

This bill requires schools to identify and track chronically absent students as at-risk for dropout, and mandates data collection and reporting on these students.

Why it matters: Chronic absenteeism laws can affect homeschooling families by raising questions about what counts as valid absence or enrollment, and may influence truancy enforcement or child-welfare involvement if school officials question whether a child is legitimately homeschooled or simply absent from required attendance.

Topic: compulsory_attendance · classifier confidence 65%

What this changes

Amends existing law

Law today: Texas Education Code Section 29.081 defines 'students at risk of dropping out of school' to include students meeting certain criteria (such as grade retention, low grades, poor test performance, pregnancy, alternative school placement, homelessness, and other factors). Schools are required to report data on these at-risk students through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS).

If passed: This bill adds 'chronically absent students' (defined as students absent from school for more than 10 percent of allocated instruction time in a school year or six-week period) to the legal definition of 'at-risk' students. It also requires school districts and charter schools to collect and publicly report disaggregated data on chronic absenteeism by race, ethnicity, special education status, dyslexia identification, economic disadvantage, and emergent bilingual status at the campus and district levels.

AI-generated from the bill text — verify against the official text.

Likely supporters & opponents

Likely support

  • Public school accountability advocates — Tracking chronic absenteeism data helps identify attendance patterns and intervene early to prevent dropouts and improve student outcomes.
  • Student-welfare focused organizations — Chronic absenteeism is often a warning sign of underlying problems; data collection enables schools to provide targeted support.
  • Education transparency groups — Public reporting of absenteeism data by demographic group reveals equity gaps and holds schools accountable.

Likely opposition

  • Homeschool advocacy organizations — If the definition or data reporting inadvertently captures or is used to track homeschooled students, it could create burdensome monitoring of families using homeschooling or hybrid arrangements.

AI-inferred typical positions based on the bill’s substance — general stakeholder categories, not confirmed endorsements.

Should I support this?

Little direct impact

This bill applies to 'school districts and open-enrollment charter schools' and focuses on tracking students enrolled in traditional public or charter schools. It does not create new requirements or restrictions for homeschooled students, as the chronic absenteeism definition and reporting requirements are tied to 'school operation time' within institutional school settings—a concept that does not apply to home education. Homeschool families are not directly affected unless they are already enrolled part-time in a charter or public school program.

An AI assessment from a Christian-family perspective — religious freedom, parental rights, and freedom in education — not legal or voting advice.

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Official summary

Relating to the inclusion of chronically absent students as students at risk of dropping out of school and the collection and reporting of data regarding those students.

Sponsors

  • Mary Gonzalez (D)
  • Joseph Moody (D)
  • Gary Vandeaver (R)
  • Linda Garcia (D)
  • Salman Bhojani (D)
  • Penny Morales Shaw (D)
  • Eddie Morales (D)
  • Mihaela Plesa (D)

Status timeline

  1. 2025-04-22Received from the HouseS
  2. 2025-04-17Reported engrossedH
  3. 2025-04-17Statement(s) of vote recorded in JournalH
  4. 2025-04-17Record vote RV#305H
  5. 2025-04-17PassedH
  6. 2025-04-17Read 3rd timeH
  7. 2025-04-17Statement(s) of vote recorded in JournalH
  8. 2025-04-17Record vote RV#289H
  9. 2025-04-17Passed to engrossmentH
  10. 2025-04-17Read 2nd timeH
  11. 2025-04-16Placed on General State CalendarH
  12. 2025-04-14Considered in CalendarsH
  13. 2025-04-01Committee report sent to CalendarsH
  14. 2025-03-31Committee report distributedH
  15. 2025-03-31Comte report filed with Committee CoordinatorH
  16. 2025-03-25Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)H
  17. 2025-03-25Considered in public hearingH
  18. 2025-03-18Left pending in committeeH
  19. 2025-03-18Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committeeH
  20. 2025-03-18Considered in public hearingH
  21. 2025-03-18Scheduled for public hearing on . . .H
  22. 2025-02-27Referred to Public EducationH
  23. 2025-02-27Read first timeH
  24. 2024-11-12FiledH

H = House · S = Senate · A = Assembly