The board and superintendent must work together on district leadership, and the district must give board members access to district records in official capacity, subject to confidentiality and disclosure limits.
Sec. 11.1512. COLLABORATION BETWEEN BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT. (a) In relation to the superintendent of the school district, the board of trustees of the district has the powers and duties specified by Sections 11.1511(b) and (c). The superintendent shall, on a day-to-day basis, ensure the implementation of the policies created by the board. (b) The board of trustees and the superintendent shall work together to: (1) advocate for the high achievement of all district students; (2) create and support connections with community organizations to provide community-wide support for the high achievement of all district students; (3) provide educational leadership for the district, including leadership in developing the district vision statement and long-range educational plan; (4) establish district-wide policies and annual goals that are tied directly to the district's vision statement and long-range educational plan; (5) support the professional development of principals, teachers, and other staff; and (6) periodically evaluate board and superintendent leadership, governance, and teamwork. (c) A member of the board of trustees of the district, when acting in the member's official capacity, has an inherent right of access to information, documents, and records maintained by the district, and the district shall provide the information, documents, and records to the member without requiring the member to submit a public information request under Chapter 552, Government Code. The district shall provide the information, documents, and records to the member without regard to whether the requested items are the subject of or relate to an item listed on an agenda for an upcoming meeting. The district may withhold or redact information, a document, or a record requested by a member of the board to the extent that the item is excepted from disclosure or is confidential under Chapter 552, Government Code, or other law. (c-1) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, a district shall provide a member of the board of trustees with information, documents, and records requested under Subsection (c) not later than the 20th business day after the date the district receives the request. The district may take a reasonable additional period of time, not to exceed the 30th business day after the date the district receives the request, to respond to a request if compliance by the 20th business day would be unduly burdensome given the amount, age, or location of the requested information. The district shall inform the trustee of the reason for the delay in providing the requested information and the date by which the information will be provided. (c-2) If a district does not provide requested information to a member of the board of trustees in the time required under Subsection (c-1), the member may bring suit against the district for appropriate injunctive relief. A member who prevails in a suit under this subsection is entitled to recover court costs and reasonable attorney's fees. The district shall pay the costs and fees from the budget of the superintendent's office. (c-3) A board member shall maintain the confidentiality of information, documents, and records received under Subsection (c) as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g) and any other applicable privacy laws. (d) A school district shall post, in a place convenient to the public, the cost of responding to one or more requests submitted by a member of the board of trustees of the district under Subsection (c) if the requests are for 200 or more pages of material in a 90-day period. (e) The district shall report annually to the Texas Education Agency not later than September 1 of each year: (1) the number of requests submitted by a member of the board of trustees of the district under Subsection (c) during the preceding school year; and (2) the total cost to the district for that school year of responding to requests under Subsection (c). (f) In this section, "official capacity" means all duties of office and includes administrative decisions or actions. (g) A district shall create a policy on visits to a district campus or other facility by a member of the board of trustees of the district. Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1244 (H.B. 2563), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2007. Amended by: Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1130 (H.B. 628), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013. Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 925 (S.B. 1566), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2017.