HBA-PDH H.B. 686 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 686 By: Oliveira Public Education 4/20/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, Spanish language arts is not part of a school's required curriculum. H.B. 686 places Spanish language arts in the required curriculum if the school district offers kindergarten through twelfth grade courses. This bill also provides that Spanish language arts instruction is a condition of a school district's accreditation. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the State Board of Education in SECTION 2 of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Sections 28.002 (a) and (c), Education Code, to include Spanish language arts as part of a required curriculum if a school district offers kindergarten through twelfth grade courses. Makes a conforming change. Provides that the State Board of Education (board), as a condition of accreditation, shall require a district to provide Spanish language instruction in the essential knowledge and skills at the appropriate high school grade levels to enable students to receive at least two years of instruction. SECTION 2. Requires the board to adopt rules relating to instruction in the essential knowledge and skills of the Spanish language in accordance with Section 28.002(c), as amended by this Act, by March 1, 2000. Requires the rules to provide that each school district, as a condition of accreditation, must provide Spanish language instruction beginning with the 2000-2001 school year. Requires the rules to provide for a transition period to prevent undue hardship on students who are in the junior or senior year of high school during the 2000-2001 school year. SECTION 3.Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.