Proposed Commissioner of Education Rules

All proposed new rules, proposed amendments to existing rules, and proposed repeals being considered by the commissioner of education are available here. The rule text on this page reflects what was filed as proposed with the Texas Register. Rule actions will remain on this page until approved for adoption by the commissioner and filed as adopted with the Texas Register.

During the proposed rule public comment period, you may submit public comments electronically using the public comment form. See proposals below for their comment periods.

If you have questions about the public comment process for proposed rulemaking, please view our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page or contact the TEA Rulemaking Unit at (512) 475-1497 or by email at rules@tea.texas.gov.

The following links present the preamble filed with the Texas Register in PDF format. The preamble includes information describing the proposed rule action as well as the rule text. The PDF contains a bookmark that will allow you to navigate directly to the beginning of the rule text using the bookmarks feature of your PDF reader.

If you do not have a PDF reader, you may download the Adobe Acrobat Reader for free from the Adobe website.

PROPOSED RULES WITH OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT PERIODS

Currently, there are no commissioner of education rules with open public comment periods.

PROPOSED RULES WITH CLOSED PUBLIC COMMENT PERIODS

Proposed Repeal of 19 TAC Chapter 61, School Districts, Subchapter EE, Commissioner's Rules on Prevention, Awareness, and Reporting of Child Abuse or Neglect, Including Trafficking of a Child
Summary: The proposed repeal would relocate the existing requirements relating to school district policies on reporting child abuse and neglect and required signage pertaining to criminal offenses of human trafficking to proposed new 19 TAC Chapter 103, Subchapter EE. The proposed new rules would include updates to align with legislation from the 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023.
Resumen en Español: La derogación propuesta reubicaría los requisitos existentes relacionados con las políticas de distritos escolares sobre la presentación de denuncias de maltrato y abandono infantil, así como la señalización exigida correspondiente a delitos penales de trata de personas, al nuevo subcapítulo EE propuesto del capítulo 103 del título 19 del Código Administrativo de Texas (TAC). Las nuevas reglas propuestas incluirían actualizaciones para armonizarse con la legislación de la 88.° Legislatura de Texas, sesión ordinaria, 2023.
Publication in the Texas Register: August 16, 2024 
Public Comment Period: August 16, 2024-September 16, 2024
Proposed Effective Date: November 26, 2024

Proposed New 19 TAC Chapter 67, State Review and Approval of Instructional Materials, Subchapter CC, Commissioner's Rules Concerning Open Education Resource Instructional Materials, §67.1315, Open Education Resource Instructional Material Transition Plan
Summary: The proposed new rule would implement House Bill 1605, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, by providing clarification on the requirements for a school district's open education resource transition plan.
Resumen en Español: La nueva regla propuesta implementaría la Ley 1605 de la Cámara de Representantes, 88.° Legislatura de Texas, sesión ordinaria, 2023, al brindar aclaración sobre los requisitos para el plan de transición de recursos de educación abierta de un distrito escolar.
Publication in the Texas Register: September 6, 2024
Public Comment Period: September 6, 2024-October 7, 2024
Proposed Effective Date: January 7, 2025

Proposed Amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 70, Technology-Based Instruction, Subchapter AA, Commissioner's Rules Concerning the Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN)
Summary: The proposed amendments would permit courses lower than Grade 9 to be offered to Texas public schools through the statewide course catalog, update the definition of central operations and student eligibility for full-time enrollment in the TxVSN, eliminate references to the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, and update references to statute and other administrative rule.
Resumen en Español: Las modificaciones propuestas permitirían que se ofrezcan cursos más elementales que el noveno grado a las escuelas públicas de Texas mediante el catálogo de cursos a nivel estatal, actualizarían la definición de operaciones centrales y elegibilidad estudiantil para la inscripción a tiempo completo en TxVSN, eliminarían las referencias a la Asociación Internacional para el Aprendizaje en Línea para Kínder a Doceavo Grado y actualizarían las referencias al estatuto y a otras reglas administrativas.
Publication in the Texas Register: August 16, 2024 
Public Comment Period: August 16, 2024-September 16, 2024
Proposed Effective Date: December 10, 2024

Proposed Amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 89, Adaptations for Special Populations, Subchapter BB, Commissioner's Rules Concerning State Plan for Educating Emergent Bilingual Students
Summary: The proposed amendments would clarify terminology based on stakeholder feedback and codify current program practices and requirements. Additionally, the proposed amendment to §89.1226 would align with recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) Office of English Language Acquisition regarding testing accommodations.
Resumen en Español: Las modificaciones propuestas aclararían la terminología con base en aportes de las partes interesadas y codificarían las prácticas y requisitos actuales de programas. Además, la modificación propuesta a la sección [§] 89.1226 se armonizaría con las recomendaciones de la Oficina de Adquisición del Idioma Inglés del Departamento de Educación de los Estados Unidos con respecto a adaptaciones para los exámenes.
Publication in the Texas Register: October 11, 2024 
Public Comment Period: October 11, 2024-November 12, 2024
Proposed Effective Date: January 26, 2025

Proposed Amendment to 19 TAC Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability, Subchapter AA, Accountability and Performance Monitoring, §97.1003, Local Accountability System
Summary: The proposed amendment would modify the timeline for submission of a local accountability plan to the Texas Education Agency.
Resumen en Español: La modificación propuesta reformaría el cronograma para la presentación de un plan local de rendición de cuentas ante la Agencia de Educación de Texas.
Publication in the Texas Register: October 18, 2024 
Public Comment Period: October 18, 2024-November 18, 2024
Proposed Effective Date: February 18, 2025

Proposed New 19 TAC Chapter 103, Health and Safety, Subchapter CC, Commissioner's Rules Concerning Safe Schools, §103.1213, Required Reporting through Sentinel
Summary: The proposed new rule would require school safety and security-related reporting through Sentinel in accordance with Texas Education Code, §37.1083. Sentinel is a comprehensive system designed to enhance the safety and security of students, faculty, and staff in school buildings across Texas.
Resumen en Español: La nueva regla propuesta exigiría elaboración de informes relacionados con la seguridad y protección escolar a través de Sentinel, de conformidad con la sección [§] 37.1083 del Código de Educación de Texas. Sentinel es un sistema integral diseñado para mejorar la seguridad y protección de los estudiantes, cuerpo docente y personal en edificios escolares de todo Texas.
Publication in the Texas Register: September 6, 2024
Public Comment Period: September 6, 2024-October 7, 2024
Proposed Effective Date: December 15, 2024

Proposed New 19 TAC Chapter 103, Health and Safety, Subchapter EE, Commissioner's Rules on Prevention, Awareness, and Reporting of Child Abuse or Neglect, Including Trafficking of a Child
Summary: The proposed new sections would relocate existing requirements from 19 TAC Chapter 61, Subchapter EE, relating to school district policies on reporting child abuse and neglect and required signage pertaining to criminal offenses of human trafficking. Proposed new §103.1401 would include updates to school district policy requirements to align with Texas Family Code, §261.104, as amended by House Bill (HB) 63, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023. Proposed new §103.1403 would include updates to signage requirements to align with Senate Bill 2069, HB 3553, and HB 3554, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023.
Resumen en Español: Las nuevas secciones propuestas reubicarían los requisitos existentes del subcapítulo EE, capítulo 61, título 19, Código Administrativo de Texas (TAC) relacionados con las políticas de distritos escolares sobre la presentación de denuncias de maltrato y abandono infantil, así como la señalización exigida correspondiente a delitos penales de trata de personas. La nueva sección [§] 103.1401 propuesta incluiría actualizaciones de los requisitos de la política de distritos escolares para armonizarse con la sección [§] 261.104 del Código de Familia de Texas, modificada por Ley 63 de la Cámara de Representantes, 88.° Legislatura de Texas, sesión ordinaria, 2023. La nueva sección [§] 103.1403 propuesta incluiría actualizaciones de los requisitos de señalización para armonizarse con la Ley 2069 del Senado, la Ley 3553 de la Cámara de Representantes y la Ley 3554 de la Cámara de Representantes, 88.° Legislatura de Texas, sesión ordinaria, 2023.
Publication in the Texas Register: August 16, 2024 
Public Comment Period: August 16, 2024-September 16, 2024
Proposed Effective Date: November 26, 2024