SB 12: Required Parental Rights Form and Right to Health-Related Services Information

This correspondence outlines portions of the requirements of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) from Senate Bill (SB) 12, 89th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, and the required activities of school systems to comply with SB 12.

Required Parental Rights Form

SB 12 requires TEA to “develop a form for use by school districts in providing information about parental rights and options.” Each district is required to provide the parental rights form to parents upon their child’s enrollment in the district for the first time and to the parent of each child enrolled in the district at the beginning of each school year. It further requires each district to post the form in a prominent location on the district’s website.

To comply with the parental rights form requirement, TEA has prepared a Parental Rights and Options Form designed for parents and families that details parental rights and options, including the right to withhold consent for or exempt the parent’s child from certain activities and instruction, related to:

• Courses of study and supplemental services
• Instructional materials and library materials
• Health education instruction
• Instruction regarding sexual orientation and gender identity
• School options, including virtual and remote schooling 
• Immunizations
• Gifted and talented programs
• Promotion, retention, and graduation
• Grade, class rank, and attendance
• State standards and requirements
• Data collection practices
• Health care services, including notice and consent
• Special education and bilingual education
• Grievance procedures

By January 1, 2026, in addition to SB 12 parental rights form requirements and as a requirement of SB 204, TEA must also create and maintain a parental rights handbook that explains all rights of a parent regarding the education of the parent’s child. This handbook is currently in development and will be released in the coming months. 

Note: This parental rights form is required for school districts. Open-enrollment charter schools should communicate with parents and families about their rights in alignment with legislation that applies to charter schools and their local policies.

Right to Information Regarding Mental, Emotional, and Physical Health and Health-Related Services

SB 12 requires TEA to “adopt a procedure for school districts to notify the parent of a student enrolled in the district regarding any change in services provided to or monitoring of the student related to the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.” 

Note: This requirement also applies to open-enrollment charter schools.

To fulfill this requirement, TEA plans to begin the rulemaking process to establish this procedure. Due to the requirement in SB 12 for parents to be notified of health-related services at the beginning of the school year, along with their right to withhold consent for or decline a service, TEA is sharing this draft of potential rule text to assist school systems in complying with the statute. This rule text is only considered to be draft text and may be edited between now and the time it is published as a proposed rule. At that time, TEA will follow the standard rulemaking process, which includes the opportunity for public comment.

Before the first instructional day of each school year, each school system shall provide to parents written notice of each health-related service offered at the campus the student attends. The notice must include a statement of the parent’s right to withhold consent for or decline a health-related service.

Districts are reminded that Texas Education Code §26.009(d) provides for disciplinary action against employees who provide services without required parental consent. 

To assist school systems in complying with Section 17 of SB 12, TEA has developed a model notice for school systems to share with parents and families. While school systems are permitted to modify the language of this model notice, certain requirements must be met to satisfy statutory requirements.

For further assistance regarding the parental rights form or notice related to health services, please direct any additional questions to 89th@tea.texas.gov.