H.B. No. 3678
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints in
  public schools.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  This Act may be cited as the "Religious
  Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act" or the "Schoolchildren's
  Religious Liberties Act."
         SECTION 2.  Chapter 25, Education Code, is amended by adding
  Subchapter E to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER E.  STUDENT EXPRESSION OF RELIGIOUS VIEWPOINTS
         Sec. 25.151.  STUDENT EXPRESSION. A school district shall
  treat a student's voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint, if
  any, on an otherwise permissible subject in the same manner the
  district treats a student's voluntary expression of a secular or
  other viewpoint on an otherwise permissible subject and may not
  discriminate against the student based on a religious viewpoint
  expressed by the student on an otherwise permissible subject.
         Sec. 25.152.  LIMITED PUBLIC FORUM; SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICY.
  (a)   To ensure that the school district does not discriminate
  against a student's publicly stated voluntary expression of a
  religious viewpoint, if any, and to eliminate any actual or
  perceived affirmative school sponsorship or attribution to the
  district of a student's expression of a religious viewpoint, if
  any, a school district shall adopt a policy, which must include the
  establishment of a limited public forum for student speakers at all
  school events at which a student is to publicly speak. The policy
  regarding the limited public forum must also require the school
  district to:
               (1)  provide the forum in a manner that does not
  discriminate against a student's voluntary expression of a
  religious viewpoint, if any, on an otherwise permissible subject;
               (2)  provide a method, based on neutral criteria, for
  the selection of student speakers at school events and graduation
  ceremonies;
               (3)  ensure that a student speaker does not engage in
  obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd, or indecent speech; and
               (4)  state, in writing, orally, or both, that the
  student's speech does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship,
  position, or expression of the district.
         (b)  The school district disclaimer required by Subsection
  (a)(4) must be provided at all graduation ceremonies.  The school
  district must also continue to provide the disclaimer at any other
  event in which a student speaks publicly for as long as a need
  exists to dispel confusion over the district's nonsponsorship of
  the student's speech.
         (c)  Student expression on an otherwise permissible subject
  may not be excluded from the limited public forum because the
  subject is expressed from a religious viewpoint.
         Sec. 25.153.  RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION IN CLASS ASSIGNMENTS.  
  Students may express their beliefs about religion in homework,
  artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from
  discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions.
  Homework and classroom assignments must be judged by ordinary
  academic standards of substance and relevance and against other
  legitimate pedagogical concerns identified by the school district.  
  Students may not be penalized or rewarded on account of the
  religious content of their work.
         Sec. 25.154.  FREEDOM TO ORGANIZE RELIGIOUS GROUPS AND
  ACTIVITIES.  Students may organize prayer groups, religious clubs,
  "see you at the pole" gatherings, or other religious gatherings
  before, during, and after school to the same extent that students
  are permitted to organize other noncurricular student activities
  and groups. Religious groups must be given the same access to
  school facilities for assembling as is given to other noncurricular
  groups without discrimination based on the religious content of the
  students' expression. If student groups that meet for nonreligious
  activities are permitted to advertise or announce meetings of the
  groups, the school district may not discriminate against groups
  that meet for prayer or other religious speech. A school district
  may disclaim school sponsorship of noncurricular groups and events
  in a manner that neither favors nor disfavors groups that meet to
  engage in prayer or religious speech.
         Sec. 25.155.  ADOPTION OF POLICY.  A school district shall
  adopt and implement a local policy regarding a limited public forum
  and voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints.  If a
  school district voluntarily adopts and follows the model policy
  governing voluntary religious expression in public schools as
  provided by Section 25.156, the district is in compliance with the
  provisions of this subchapter covered by the model policy.
         Sec. 25.156.  MODEL POLICY GOVERNING VOLUNTARY RELIGIOUS
  EXPRESSION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.  In this section, "model policy"
  means a local policy adopted by the school district that is
  substantially identical to the following:
  ARTICLE I
  STUDENT EXPRESSION OF RELIGIOUS VIEWPOINTS
         The school district shall treat a student's voluntary
  expression of a religious viewpoint, if any, on an otherwise
  permissible subject in the same manner the district treats a
  student's voluntary expression of a secular or other viewpoint on
  an otherwise permissible subject and may not discriminate against
  the student based on a religious viewpoint expressed by the student
  on an otherwise permissible subject.
  ARTICLE II
  STUDENT SPEAKERS AT NONGRADUATION EVENTS
         The school district hereby creates a limited public forum for
  student speakers at all school events at which a student is to
  publicly speak. For each speaker, the district shall set a maximum
  time limit reasonable and appropriate to the occasion. Student
  speakers shall introduce:
               (1)  football games;
               (2)  any other athletic events designated by the
  district;
               (3)  opening announcements and greetings for the school
  day; and
               (4)  any additional events designated by the district,
  which may include, without limitation, assemblies and pep rallies.
         The forum shall be limited in the manner provided by this
  article.
         Only those students in the highest two grade levels of the
  school and who hold one of the following positions of honor based on
  neutral criteria are eligible to use the limited public forum:
  student council officers, class officers of the highest grade level
  in the school, captains of the football team, and other students
  holding positions of honor as the school district may designate.
         An eligible student shall be notified of the student's
  eligibility, and a student who wishes to participate as an
  introducing speaker shall submit the student's name to the student
  council or other designated body during an announced period of not
  less than three days.  The announced period may be at the beginning
  of the school year, at the end of the preceding school year so
  student speakers are in place for the new year, or, if the selection
  process will be repeated each semester, at the beginning of each
  semester or at the end of the preceding semester so speakers are in
  place for the next semester.  The names of the volunteering student
  speakers shall be randomly drawn until all names have been
  selected, and the names shall be listed in the order drawn.  Each
  selected student will be matched chronologically to the event for
  which the student will be giving the introduction. Each student may
  speak for one week at a time for all introductions of events that
  week, or rotate after each speaking event, or otherwise as
  determined by the district.  The list of student speakers shall be
  chronologically repeated as needed, in the same order.  The
  district may repeat the selection process each semester rather than
  once a year.
         The subject of the student introductions must be related to
  the purpose of the event and to the purpose of marking the opening
  of the event, honoring the occasion, the participants, and those in
  attendance, bringing the audience to order, and focusing the
  audience on the purpose of the event.  The subject must be
  designated, a student must stay on the subject, and the student may
  not engage in obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd, or indecent
  speech.  The school district shall treat a student's voluntary
  expression of a religious viewpoint, if any, on an otherwise
  permissible subject in the same manner the district treats a
  student's voluntary expression of a secular or other viewpoint on
  an otherwise permissible subject and may not discriminate against
  the student based on a religious viewpoint expressed by the student
  on an otherwise permissible subject.
         For as long as there is a need to dispel confusion over the
  nonsponsorship of the student's speech, at each event in which a
  student will deliver an introduction, a disclaimer shall be stated
  in written or oral form, or both, such as, "The student giving the
  introduction for this event is a volunteering student selected on
  neutral criteria to introduce the event.  The content of the
  introduction is the private expression of the student and does not
  reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position, or expression of
  the school district."
         Certain students who have attained special positions of honor
  in the school have traditionally addressed school audiences from
  time to time as a tangential component of their achieved positions
  of honor, such as the captains of various sports teams, student
  council officers, class officers, homecoming kings and queens, prom
  kings and queens, and the like, and have attained their positions
  based on neutral criteria. Nothing in this policy eliminates the
  continuation of the practice of having these students, irrespective
  of grade level, address school audiences in the normal course of
  their respective positions.  The school district shall create a
  limited public forum for the speakers and shall treat a student's
  voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint, if any, on an
  otherwise permissible subject in the same manner the district
  treats a student's voluntary expression of a secular or other
  viewpoint on an otherwise permissible subject and may not
  discriminate against the student based on a religious viewpoint
  expressed by the student on an otherwise permissible subject.
  ARTICLE III
  STUDENT SPEAKERS AT GRADUATION CEREMONIES
         The school district hereby creates a limited public forum
  consisting of an opportunity for a student to speak to begin
  graduation ceremonies and another student to speak to end
  graduation ceremonies.  For each speaker, the district shall set a
  maximum time limit reasonable and appropriate to the occasion.
         The forum shall be limited in the manner provided by this
  article.
         Only students who are graduating and who hold one of the
  following neutral criteria positions of honor shall be eligible to
  use the limited public forum:  student council officers, class
  officers of the graduating class, the top three academically ranked
  graduates, or a shorter or longer list of student leaders as the
  school district may designate.  A student who will otherwise have a
  speaking role in the graduation ceremonies is ineligible to give
  the opening and closing remarks.  The names of the eligible
  volunteering students will be randomly drawn.  The first name drawn
  will give the opening and the second name drawn will give the
  closing.
         The topic of the opening and closing remarks must be related
  to the purpose of the graduation ceremony and to the purpose of
  marking the opening and closing of the event, honoring the
  occasion, the participants, and those in attendance, bringing the
  audience to order, and focusing the audience on the purpose of the
  event.
         In addition to the students giving the opening and closing
  remarks, certain other students who have attained special positions
  of honor based on neutral criteria, including, without limitation,
  the valedictorian, will have speaking roles at graduation
  ceremonies.  For each speaker, the school district shall set a
  maximum time limit reasonable and appropriate to the occasion and
  to the position held by the speaker.  For this purpose, the district
  creates a limited public forum for these students to deliver the
  addresses.  The subject of the addresses must be related to the
  purpose of the graduation ceremony, marking and honoring the
  occasion, honoring the participants and those in attendance, and
  the student's perspective on purpose, achievement, life, school,
  graduation, and looking forward to the future.
         The subject must be designated for each student speaker, the
  student must stay on the subject, and the student may not engage in
  obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd, or indecent speech.  The school
  district shall treat a student's voluntary expression of a
  religious viewpoint, if any, on an otherwise permissible subject in
  the same manner the district treats a student's voluntary
  expression of a secular or other viewpoint on an otherwise
  permissible subject and may not discriminate against the student
  based on a religious viewpoint expressed by the student on an
  otherwise permissible subject.
         A written disclaimer shall be printed in the graduation
  program that states, "The students who will be speaking at the
  graduation ceremony were selected based on neutral criteria to
  deliver messages of the students' own choices.  The content of each
  student speaker's message is the private expression of the
  individual student and does not reflect any position or expression
  of the school district or the board of trustees, or the district's
  administration, or employees of the district, or the views of any
  other graduate.  The contents of these messages were prepared by the
  student volunteers, and the district refrained from any interaction
  with student speakers regarding the student speakers' viewpoints on
  permissible subjects."
  ARTICLE IV
  RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION IN CLASS ASSIGNMENTS
         Students may express the students' beliefs about religion in
  homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from
  discrimination based on the religious content of the students'
  submission.  Homework and classroom work shall be judged by
  ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance and against
  other legitimate pedagogical concerns identified by the school.  
  Students may not be penalized or rewarded on account of religious
  content.  If a teacher's assignment involves writing a poem, the
  work of a student who submits a poem in the form of a prayer (for
  example, a psalm) should be judged on the basis of academic
  standards, including literary quality, and not penalized or
  rewarded on account of its religious content.
  ARTICLE V
  FREEDOM TO ORGANIZE RELIGIOUS GROUPS AND ACTIVITIES
         Students may organize prayer groups, religious clubs, "see
  you at the pole" gatherings, and other religious gatherings before,
  during, and after school to the same extent that students are
  permitted to organize other noncurricular student activities and
  groups.  Religious groups must be given the same access to school
  facilities for assembling as is given to other noncurricular
  groups, without discrimination based on the religious content of
  the group's expression.  If student groups that meet for
  nonreligious activities are permitted to advertise or announce the
  groups' meetings, for example, by advertising in a student
  newspaper, putting up posters, making announcements on a student
  activities bulletin board or public address system, or handing out
  leaflets, school authorities may not discriminate against groups
  that meet for prayer or other religious speech.  School authorities
  may disclaim sponsorship of noncurricular groups and events,
  provided they administer the disclaimer in a manner that does not
  favor or disfavor groups that meet to engage in prayer or other
  religious speech.
         SECTION 3.  This Act applies beginning with the 2007-2008
  school year.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 3678 was passed by the House on May 1,
  2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 121, Nays 10, 1 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 3678 on May 26, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 108, Nays 28,
  2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 3678 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 23, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 27, Nays
  3.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor