The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments. ATPE members: Share your thoughts and ask our lobby team questions in The Rotunda on the ATPE Online Community. 

• STAAR bill makes its way through the House and Senate 
• Second special session to continue after Labor Day weekend 
• From atpenews.org: The Impact of SB 12 on SEL Practices 
• Texas House approves Senate Bill 8, the “bathroom bill” 
• TEA issues guidance on parental rights bill, school library materials, and more 
• Listen to the latest ATPE Podcast episode: Miscellaneous Types of Educator Leave 
• Apply to serve on one of ATPE’s fall committees by Aug. 31 
• Stay in the know and take action with ATPE’s member advocacy tools 

STAAR: The ATPE lobby team has kept a close eye on the state’s testing and accountability bill as it made its way through both chambers this week.  

The Texas House passed House Bill (HB) 8 by Chairman Brad Buckley (R–Salado) Tuesday on a 82-56 vote, and the Senate voted Wednesday night to advance it with several significant modifications to testing and accountability policy. ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield outlines those modifications in this blog post. The Senate passed HB 8 on a 21–5 vote and now the bill heads back to the House. When it arrives, House members can either request a conference committee to fight for the lower chamber’s version, which reduced testing to federal minimums, or concur with the Senate version. Read more about the House version of the bill in Sheffield’s blog post. 

While HB 8 promises additional transparency and quicker results, it does not reduce the overall footprint of high-stakes testing in Texas schools. Instead, it doubles down on the same accountability framework that has long drawn criticism, while curtailing legal recourse for districts and granting expanded power to the commissioner of education. ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter told KXAN: “Teachers feel like this is going to increase the amount of state mandated, high-stakes, accountability-aligned testing.” 

ATPE will continue watching closely as the House considers whether to concur with the Senate’s changes. 

SPECIAL SESSION: The Legislature will adjourn for Labor Day weekend and return Tuesday to continue the session. Lawmakers must approve any legislation by Sept. 13, when the second special session is slated to adjourn sine die. Stay tuned to Teach the Vote for updates.  

SB 12: Senate Bill (SB) 12, also known as the Parental Bill of Rights, was passed by the 89th Legislature and significantly expands parents’ rights in public education by establishing that parents have the fundamental right to direct their child’s education, moral and religious training, and medical treatment.   

Several aspects of the bill have left many educators wondering what they can and can’t do when instructing and interacting with their students— especially in the context of Texas Education Code provisions related to managing emotions, building healthy relationships, and developing decision-making skills. 

ATPE Managing Attorney Lance Cain outlines the impact of SB 12 on social emotional learning (SEL) practices and what educators should know to help avoid potential issues in this blog post.  

BATHROOM BILL: The Texas House approved Senate Bill (SB) 8 on an 86-45 vote late Thursday following heated debate among lawmakers and disruptions from the House gallery. According to The Texas Tribune, SB 8—also known as the “Texas Women’s Privacy Act”—would apply to restrooms in government buildings, public schools, and universities, requiring individuals to use restrooms based on their sex assigned at birth. The bill would impose $25,000 fines against the institutions for violations and $125,000 for subsequent violations. If signed into law, SB 8 would be the most financially punitive bathroom bill in the U.S.  

Supporters of SB 8 argue the bill would ensure safety for women in changing rooms and bathrooms. Opponents of the bill call the restrictions unnecessary and voiced concerns the bill would incite harassment against trans and even cisgender people falsely accused of entering the wrong bathroom. 

SB 8 now goes back to the Senate to approve the House's changes. Read more in this article republished from The Texas Tribune. 

TEA: Several To the Administrator Addressed (TAA) guidance letters were released this week by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), including guidance on SB 12 (the parental rights bill) and SB 13, which relates to school library materials. Both bills were enacted during the regular legislative session this year. Interested members can read about these and prior TAA guidance letters on the TEA website. 

PODCAST: In the latest episode of The ATPE Podcast, ATPE Managing Attorney Lance Cain wraps up our three-part series on educator leave, focusing on assault leave, civic duty leave, military leave, administrative leave, and more. Don't forget to listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of this series if you have not already done so. 

STATE COMMITTEE SERVICE: ATPE members are invited to apply for service on one of the ATPE standing committees that meet in the fall: Leader Development, Legislative, Membership, and Nomination/Election. Applications are open until Sunday, Aug. 31. Find more details and learn about the value of ATPE state committee service in this atpenews.org article. 

MEMBER ADVOCACY: As the second special session continues, we urge you to stay informed and engaged. Here are a few advocacy resources to check out: 

• Advocacy Central: Get in touch with your elected officials about the legislation impacting your profession.  
• Judy: Chat with ATPE’s new AI assistant for Texas educators, ready to help you with all things ATPE and all things #txed.   
• ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP): Enroll in ATPE-MAP to earn state-level and local-level advocacy microcredentials, as well as earn continuing professional education (CPE) credit. ATPE-MAP is included in your member benefits, so be sure to check it out today.    
• ATPE Professional Learning (PL) Portal: Three sessions from the 2025 ATPE Summit are available in the ATPE PL Portal: an HB 2 compensation overview, the ATPE lobby team’s advocacy update and the closing keynote by Jonathan Alsheimer. Log in to watch the recordings and earn 1.5 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credit. (Jonathan Alsheimer’s appearance arranged through Gotham Artists.) 
• The Rotunda: Don’t forget, members, that you can interact with your ATPE lobby team throughout the week when you log in to the ATPE Online Community.