H.B. No. 1512 introduces amendments to the Education Code, specifically Section 25.001, to require school districts to report the number of children they know or reasonably believe to be non-citizens enrolled in public schools. The bill mandates that this information be included in the district's Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) report, following guidelines set by the commissioner. Importantly, the bill clarifies that school districts cannot deny admission to any eligible person based on their citizenship status. Additionally, the commissioner is tasked with submitting an annual request to the United States government for reimbursement of the costs associated with educating these non-citizen students.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that the commissioner must adopt necessary rules to implement these reporting requirements while ensuring that the reported information does not include any personally identifiable information of students. The provisions of this act are set to take effect starting with the 2025-2026 school year, and it will become effective immediately if it receives a two-thirds majority vote from both houses of the legislature; otherwise, it will take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 25.001 (Education Code 25)