SB 1871 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to discipline management and access to telehealth mental health services in public schools.

SB 1871 requires each public school campus to designate a behavior coordinator responsible for discipline management and ensuring access to telehealth mental health services. It creates legal immunity for school staff who report safety concerns or remove students from class under specific safety protocols. The bill also clarifies that school districts cannot exempt themselves from core education requirements like curriculum standards or accountability measures. These changes directly affect school staff, students, and campus administrators in Texas public schools. The bill aims to standardize discipline procedures while improving mental health service access without altering existing accountability frameworks.

Issues: ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2025

Senate Passage

Apr 2025

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Mar 4, 2025 Last action Apr 22, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Engrossed · 6 edits · Apr 10, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates Texas education code provisions related to student discipline, particularly around firearms, weapons, and behavioral interventions. It adds new immunity protections for staff who report violations in good faith, expands definitions of disciplinary proceedings, and creates new requirements for campus behavior coordinators. The bill also introduces virtual disciplinary alternative education programs and modifies suspension/expulsion criteria for various offenses.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of disciplinary procedures to include virtual education programs and clarifies immunity protections for school staff who report violations or take good faith actions regarding student behavior.

REQUIREMENT

Added immunity protections for school employees who report violations or take good faith actions regarding student discipline in good faith.

Modified campus behavior coordinator requirements to include verification that all subchapter provisions are appropriately implemented.

Added new virtual disciplinary alternative education program provisions allowing districts to place expelled students in virtual settings when in-person options are unavailable.

Added requirements for return to class plans to be created before or at conferences and for consideration of behavioral support settings before other disciplinary placements.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified suspension and expulsion criteria for students in grades below three, particularly regarding weapons offenses and substance-related conduct.

ENFORCEMENT

Modified expulsion criteria to include breach of computer security offenses and clarified conditions for placing expelled students in alternative education programs.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 22, 2025

Committee

Referred to Public Education

lower

Apr 22, 2025

Introduced

Read first time

lower

Apr 14, 2025

Introduced

Received from the Senate

lower

Apr 10, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

Apr 10, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed to engrossment as amended

upper

Apr 10, 2025

Amended

Amendment fails of adoption

upper

Apr 10, 2025

Upper · Passed

Amended

upper

Apr 10, 2025

Introduced

Amendment(s) offered

upper

Apr 7, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee report printed and distributed

upper

Apr 7, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably as substituted

upper

Apr 3, 2025

Upper · Passed

Vote taken in committee

upper

Mar 25, 2025

Upper · Passed

Left pending in committee

upper

Mar 25, 2025

Upper · Passed

Testimony taken in committee

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Committee

Referred to Education K-16

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Introduced

Read first time

upper

3 primary · 6 co-sponsors