As the start of the 2025-2026 school year rolls by, students have found themselves becoming familiar with more than just new policies and their schedules. The 89th legislative session held in January at the Capitol introduced some changes that would be coming to school districts all across the state. This year’s legislation has established new policies that have not been used in previous school years.
“I think the negative effects of the phone ban are that I cannot listen to my music in the loud hallways, and I can’t call my mother,” Parker Roche, sophomore and anti-phone ban, said.
One of the new policies that has sparked the most conversation amongst the community is House Bill 1481. According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), “school districts and [charter schools] must adopt a policy prohibiting [the] use of phones while on school property during the school day.” The policy includes cell phones, tablets, smart watches, personal laptops, radio or paging devices and any other device capable of telecommunication or digital communication. Districts now have to make the choice of how to enforce this rule, whether it is instructing students to leave their devices at home or to keep them turned off in their bag. While this applies to all students across the district, the bill provides exceptions for students in IEP, students with 504 plans and other similar accommodations.
“Yeah, I’ve already experienced one of those [technology difficulties] because my Chromebook is really slow compared to my personal laptop,” Roche said.
Following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, the legislation introduced the Uvalde Strong Act. The bill requires all peace officers in the state to take mandatory active shooter response training provided by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT). ALERRT should have a completed training program by Dec. 1.
Another new addition to this year’s policies is the involvement of parents and parental rights. Teachers and instructors are required to post a visible announcement to parents informing them of the instructional plans or syllabus for the semester. Districts must also have an online portal for parents to access and voice their concerns and comments. This change also includes sending permission slips for parents to give approval before their child may join a club through the school.
GPA calculation has also undergone a change. Senate Bill 1191 was created to address the inconsistencies in Texas Highschool GPA calculations. Before, GPAs were calculated based on the courses a student took, such as AP, IB, OnRamps dual enrollment and dual credit courses. Now, those courses are weighed equally to ensure no student is inherently at a disadvantage.
Senate Bill 991 established a new policy regarding student absences. “Chronically absent students” will be assessed after a submission to the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) . The term “Chronically absent student” refers to an individual who has missed more than 10% of school hours or instructional time during a semester or school year. Missing 10% means missing about 10 days in a semester. After the 10 days, the school will notify parents, advising an Attendance Review Meeting (ARD).
Another new implementation this year is the Teacher Retention Allotment (TRA). This was created to improve the long term teacher pay raise system. In school districts with 5,000 or less students, teachers with at least three years of experience will receive a $4,000 raise, and those with five or more years of experience will receive a $8,000 raise. However, in school districts with more than 5,000, teachers with at least three years of experience will receive a $2,500 raise, and those with five or more will receive a $5,000 raise.
The new laws have changed the rules regarding cellphone use, school shooting protocol, parent involvement, GPA calculation, student absences, and teacher pay. Staff and students are expected to accept and follow these protocols with no room for flexibility.