House Bill No. 3613 amends the Education Code regarding truancy by adjusting the criteria for what constitutes truant conduct and the process for school districts to refer students to truancy court. The bill specifies that a school district must notify a student's parent if the student has been absent without excuse for three days or parts of days within a four-week period in the same school year. The notification must inform the parent of their responsibility to monitor attendance, the potential for truancy prevention measures, and the possibility of referral to truancy court for truant conduct.

Additionally, the bill introduces a new provision allowing school districts to refer students to truancy court if they have three or more unexcused absences within a four-week period, even if they do not meet the criteria for previous truancy definitions. It also clarifies that a school district may file a complaint against a parent for criminal negligence if a student has unexcused absences. The changes will take effect starting with the 2025-2026 school year, and the bill will become effective immediately if it receives a two-thirds majority vote in both houses.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 25.095, Education Code 25.0951, Family Code 65.003 (Family Code 65, Education Code 25)