(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.
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