Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) The instructional materials public
comment period begins when the electronic samples of materials under
consideration for adoption are posted on the Texas Education Agency (TEA)
website and ends 14 days prior to the meeting at which the State Board of
Education (SBOE) will vote to adopt instructional materials.
(b) Any resident of Texas may submit written
comments for, against, or about any instructional materials submitted for
adoption.
(1) Written comments shall be
submitted to the commissioner of education in a format designated by the
commissioner on or before the deadlines specified in the schedule of adoption
procedures.
(2) Alleged factual
errors shall be submitted to the commissioner in a format designated by the
commissioner on or before the deadlines specified in the schedule of adoption
procedures.
(3) Copies of written
comments and lists of reported alleged factual errors shall be posted on the
TEA website and provided to the SBOE and participating publishers.
(c) The SBOE shall hold a hearing
on instructional materials submitted for review during a regularly scheduled
meeting prior to the meeting at which the SBOE will vote to adopt instructional
materials.
(1) Testimony at the hearing shall
be accepted from Texas residents and non-residents with priority given to Texas
residents. Copies of written testimony provided at the hearing shall be
distributed to SBOE members and to publishers with materials under
consideration. Persons who wish to testify must register in accordance with
registration procedures in the SBOE Operating Rules, §2.10 (relating to
Oral Public Testimony in Connection with Regular Board and Committee Meetings).
The SBOE may limit the time available for each person to testify in an effort
to hear from everyone who has registered to testify. Persons will also be
allowed to register to testify at the hearing, but priority will be given to
those persons who registered prior to the deadline, in accordance with the SBOE
Operating Rules, §2.12 (relating to Public Hearings).
(2) Oral responses to testimony at the
hearing may be made by official representatives of publishing
companies.
(3) An archived
recording of the hearing shall be provided on the TEA website.
(4) All written publisher responses to
comments or public testimony provided at the hearing shall be posted to the TEA
website within five working days of their receipt.
(d) Public comment on instructional materials
not adopted by the SBOE on the date specified in the schedule of adoption
procedures shall be accepted according to the SBOE Operating Rules,
§2.10.
