Texas

SEL / Character Education

Required

SEL or Character Development is required by law in Texas. In other words, social emotional learning or character education is required by state law to be integrated into a district’s curriculum.

Texas Statutes Education Code 28.002 Required Curriculum

This statute declares that every K-12 school district in Texas must provide an enrichment curriculum within a required curriculum that includes skills to help manage emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making.

Source: Texas Statutes

Texas Statutes Education Code 29.906 Character Education Program

This statute declares that a school district may provide a Character Education program that must promote positive character traits, such as:

• Courage
• Trustworthiness, including honesty, reliability, punctuality, and loyalty
• Integrity
• Respect and courtesy
• Responsibility, including accountability, diligence, perseverance, and self-control
• Fairness, including justice and freedom from prejudice
• Caring, including kindness, empathy, compassion, consideration, patience, generosity, and charity
• Good citizenship, including patriotism, concern for the common good and the community, and respect for authority and the law
• School pride

It must also use integrated teaching strategies and be age appropriate.

To develop this Character Education program, a school district must consult with a committee selected by the district. This committee must consist of parents of district students, educators, and other members of the community.

Source: Texas Statutes

Texas Statutes Education Code 37.0013 Positive Behavior Program

This statute declares that each school district and open-enrollment charter school may create and implement a behavior program that provides a disciplinary alternative for students in any grade below 3rd grade. The program must, among other things,

• be age-appropriate and research-based
• provide models for positive behavior
• promote a positive school environment
• provide behavior management strategies that include, among other things,
  • positive behavioral intervention and support (PBIS)
  • trauma-informed practices
  • social emotional learning (SEL)
  • a referral for services, as necessary
  • restorative practices

Source: Texas Statutes

Multi-tiered Positive Behavior Supports

Encouraged

Multi-tiered Positive Behavior Supports is encouraged by laws in Texas. In other words, the implementation of school-wide positive behavioral supports or tiered frameworks in Texas school districts is encouraged, but not required.

Texas Statutes Education Code 11.252 District-Level Planning and Decision-Making

This statute declares that each school district shall have a district improvement plan that is developed, evaluated, and revised annually by the superintendent with the assistance of the district-level committee and must be in accordance with district policy. This plan should aim to guide district and campus staff in the improvement of student performance for all student groups in order to reach state standards. Its provisions must include strategies to improve student performance, which in turn should include positive behavior interventions and support (PBIS), such as interventions and support that integrate best practices on trauma-informed care.

Source: The Education Code of Texas

School Climate Surveys

Non-codified

School climate surveys are a non-codified policy in Texas. In other words, school climate surveys are not addressed in state statutes, but are addressed in non-codified policy.

Safe, Supportive, and Positive School Climate

This non-codified policy addresses the administration of school climate surveys.

Source: The Texas Education Agency