Notification from TEA Regarding Senate Bill 1697

Dear Aubrey families, 

The 87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session passed Senate Bill (SB) 1697, which amends state law to allow parents and guardians to elect for a student to repeat a grade or retake a high school course, per Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.02124. The legislation, which went into effect on June 16, 2021, gives parents or guardians the right to opt for their child to –

  1. repeat prekindergarten;

  2. enroll in prekindergarten if the child was eligible to enroll in prekindergarten in the previous school year, under TEC, §29.153(b), and has not yet enrolled in kindergarten;

  3. repeat kindergarten;

  4. enroll in kindergarten if the child would have enrolled in kindergarten in the previous school year and has not yet enrolled in first grade*; and

  5. for grades one through three, repeat the grade the student was enrolled in the previous school year.

    For the 2021-2022 school year only, parents or guardians have the right to opt for their child—
     

  6. for grades four through eight, repeat the grade the student was enrolled in during the 2020-2021 school year; and

  7. for courses taken for high school credit, repeat any course in which the student was enrolled during the 2020-2021 school year.

Parents or guardians are required to notify the school principal in writing using the form attached before August 13, 2021 if they elect for their child to retake a grade level or course. The school may wish to hold a retention committee meeting to discuss the child's retention with the parent.