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SB 1697 Update

During the recent legislative session, Senate Bill 1697 established new Texas Education Code (TEC), section code 28.02124, Parental Option for Student Retention, which allows parents or guardians to opt to have their child:

  • repeat prekindergarten;
  • enroll in prekindergarten if the child was eligible to enroll in prekindergarten in the previous school year, under TEC, section code 29.153(b), and has not yet enrolled in kindergarten;
  • repeat kindergarten;
  • enroll in kindergarten if the child would have enrolled in kindergarten in the previous school year and has not yet enrolled in first grade;
  • for grades one through three, repeat the grade the student was enrolled in the previous school year;
  • for grades four through eight, repeat the grade the student was enrolled in during the 2020-2021 school year; and
  • for courses taken for high school credit, repeat any course in which the student was enrolled during the 2020-2021 school year.

To learn more, please visit TEA’s Restart Kindergarten or Repeat a Grade or Course webpages. Please note: UIL eligibility may be impacted by repeating a course or grade. Check UIL’s website regularly for updates.