House Bill No. 1368 introduces a new requirement for public schools in Texas regarding the notification of parents when a school lacks a full-time nurse, school counselor, or librarian for more than 30 consecutive instructional days. The bill defines key terms such as "librarian," "nurse," and "school counselor," and specifies that schools must provide written notice to parents or guardians if these positions are not filled. The principal is responsible for ensuring that this notice is sent within 30 instructional days of the absence, and schools are encouraged to provide the notice in a bilingual format for non-English speaking parents. Additionally, schools can fulfill the notification requirement by posting the information on their website.

The bill also outlines the criteria for determining if a school has the equivalent of a full-time nurse, counselor, or librarian based on the presence of multiple staff members covering all instructional hours. However, the notification requirement does not apply to school districts or open-enrollment charter schools with fewer than 10,000 students. The provisions of this bill will take effect starting with the 2025-2026 school year, and it will become effective immediately if it receives a two-thirds vote from both houses of the legislature; otherwise, it will take effect on September 1, 2025.

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