TX HB4292

Shifts authority for hearing appeals regarding school law violations from the Commissioner of Education to the Inspector General (if H.B. 1025 passes), and reduces the deadline for issuing appeal decisions from 240 days to 60 days, with extensions limited to 7 days instead of 60 days

Expands appealable actions to include violations by open-enrollment charter school governing bodies, violations of federal law, and violations of board-adopted policies, in addition to existing state law and employment contract violations

Establishes a mandatory three-level grievance procedure for school districts: principal review within 7 business days (2 days for safety concerns), automatic appeal to superintendent, then automatic appeal to board of trustees with a recorded hearing

Requires school districts to use independent legal counsel separate from district attorneys for board grievance proceedings, prohibits districts from having attorney representation unless the grievant also has an attorney, and bars anyone involved in the underlying matter from participating in the grievance process

Prohibits retaliation against students or parents who file grievances, with consequences including mandatory audits, educator certification sanctions (inscribed reprimand or revocation), and potential withholding of permanent school fund bond guarantees

Excuses student absences due to pending safety-related grievances and counts each such absence as two absences for calculating the district's average daily attendance funding