TITLE: Relating to an exception to dropped course limitations at public institutions of higher education for courses dropped during a disaster that results in a bar or limit on in-person course attendance.

SUMMARY: Relating to an exception to dropped course limitations at public institutions of higher education for courses dropped during a disaster that results in a bar or limit on in-person course attendance.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to an exception to dropped course limitations at public institutions of higher education for courses dropped during a disaster that results in a bar or limit on in-person course attendance. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 51.907, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsection (e-2) to read as follows: (e) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall adopt rules under which an institution of higher education shall permit a student to drop more courses under circumstances described by Subsection (b) than the number of courses permitted to be dropped under Subsection (c) or under a policy adopted under Subsection (d) if [the student shows] good cause exists for dropping more than that number, including:(1) the student's [a] showing of: (A) [(1)] a severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student's ability to satisfactorily complete a course; (B) [(2)] the student's responsibility for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person if the provision of care affects the student's ability to satisfactorily complete a course; (C) [(3)] the death of a person who: (i) [(A)] is considered to be a member of the student's family under a rule adopted under this subsection for purposes of this paragraph [subdivision];or (ii) [(B)] is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student under a rule adopted under this subsection that the person's death is considered to be a showing of good cause; or (D) [(4)] the active duty service as a member of the Texas National Guard or the armed forces of the United States of: (i) [(A)] the student; or (ii) [(B)] a person who is considered to be a member of the student's family under a rule adopted under this subsection for purposes of this paragraph; or (2) a disaster declared by the governor under Section 418.014, Government Code, resulting in a bar or limit on in-person course attendance at the institution of a duration that significantly affects the student's ability to participate in coursework, as determined in accordance with a rule adopted under this subsection for purposes of this subdivision. (e-2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, an institution of higher education may not count toward the number of courses permitted to be dropped under Subsection (c) or a policy adopted under Subsection (d) a course dropped by a student during the 2020 spring semester or summer term or the 2020-2021 academic year because of a bar or limit on in-person course attendance at the institution during the applicable semester or term due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. SECTION 2. Section 51.907(e), Education Code, as amended by this Act, applies beginning with the 2021 fall semester. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.