Rep. Alma Allen introduced HB 2849, a bill on Education, to the Texas House on Friday, Feb. 14 during the 89(R) legislative session, according to the Texas Legislature website.
More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’relating to policies on the recess period in public schools’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
This bill mandates the development and implementation of model recess policies for public schools in Texas. The Department of State Health Services School Health Advisory Committee is tasked with creating guidelines by Jan. 1, 2026, that encourage age-appropriate outdoor play and detail the use of outdoor equipment and facilities. School district boards must adopt and implement these policies by the 2026-27 school year, ensuring they specify weekly unstructured playtime and clarify if recess can be withheld as a disciplinary measure. Districts are required to review and potentially revise their recess policies every five years. The act is set to take effect on Sept. 1, 2025.
Alma Allen, a member of the House Committee on Corrections, proposed another 16 bills during the 89(R) legislative session. She is also a member of the House Committee on Public Education.
Allen graduated from Texas Southern University with a BS.
Alma Allen is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state’s 131st House district. She replaced previous state representative Ronald R. “Ron” Wilson in 2005.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
| Legislative Session | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89(R) | HB 2709 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the required minutes of service during each school day for a classroom teacher in public schools |
| 89(R) | HB 2708 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the eligibility of certain criminal defendants for an order of nondisclosure of criminal history record information |
| 89(R) | HB 2555 | 02/06/2025 | Relating to the payment of a fee for the administration of a bilingual education certificate examination |
| 89(R) | HB 2554 | 02/06/2025 | Relating to the payment of certain employer contributions for employed retirees of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
| 89(R) | HB 2341 | 02/03/2025 | Relating to the award of diligent participation credit to defendants confined in a state jail felony facility |
| 89(R) | HB 2336 | 02/03/2025 | Relating to a school district employee’s right to present a grievance under the district’s employment policy |
| 89(R) | HB 2296 | 01/31/2025 | Relating to eligibility requirements to obtain a pass for expedited access to the State Capitol |
| 89(R) | HB 2292 | 01/30/2025 | Relating to prohibiting certain releases of a student to the student’s parent after school-initiated communication by a school district or open-enrollment charter school |
| 89(R) | HB 2163 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to benefits paid by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
| 89(R) | HB 2157 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to the licensing of a psychologist as a licensed specialist in school psychology; authorizing a fee |
| 89(R) | HB 1416 | 11/19/2024 | Relating to program accessibility for female inmates of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice |
| 89(R) | HB 1415 | 11/19/2024 | Relating to corporal punishment in public schools |
| 89(R) | HB 1414 | 11/19/2024 | Relating to the punishment for the offense of driving while license invalid |
| 89(R) | HB 1413 | 11/19/2024 | Relating to the salary and wages paid to public school employees |
| 89(R) | HB 1412 | 11/19/2024 | Relating to the location of certain public meetings for certain permits issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality |
| 89(R) | HB 1411 | 11/19/2024 | Relating to the use of personal leave during school holidays by certain school district employees |
| 88(R) | HB 4812 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to permissible accountability interventions for certain school districts with low-performing campuses |
| 88(R) | HB 4813 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the approval of purchases under the supplemental special education services and instructional materials program by a public school student’s admission, review, and dismissal committee |
| 88(R) | HB 4933 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to authorizing cost-of-living adjustments applicable to certain benefits paid by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
| 88(R) | HB 4935 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to certain duties of a public institution of higher education in relation to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program |
| 88(R) | HB 4963 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to required contract provisions in the employment contract for a school district educator |
| 88(R) | HB 5111 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to requirements for the early college education program |
| 88(R) | HB 5124 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the bilingual education allotment under the Foundation School Program |
| 88(R) | HB 4386 | 03/09/2023 | Relating to certain improvements of the state highway system in certain census tracts |
| 88(R) | HB 4515 | 03/09/2023 | Relating to an alternative qualified early learning grant program administered by the commissioner of education and funding for prekindergarten and kindergarten programs under the Foundation School Program |
| 88(R) | HB 4600 | 03/09/2023 | Relating to the funding of child care facilities |
| 88(R) | HB 4606 | 03/09/2023 | Relating to the operation of a juvenile justice alternative education program by a county department of education |
| 88(R) | HB 4608 | 03/09/2023 | Relating to certain benefits paid by the Employees Retirement System of Texas |
| 88(R) | HB 3982 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to notice and safety requirements applicable to certain LP-Gas containers |
| 88(R) | HB 3984 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to policies on the recess period in public schools |
| 88(R) | HB 4156 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to the licensing of a psychologist as a licensed specialist in school psychology; authorizing a fee |
| 88(R) | HB 4245 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to the revision of the essential knowledge and skills of the public school social studies curricula to include instruction relating to the history of persons with disabilities |
| 88(R) | HB 3780 | 03/07/2023 | Relating to public school system accountability |
| 88(R) | HB 3979 | 03/07/2023 | Relating to certain benefits paid by the Employees Retirement System of Texas |
| 88(R) | HB 3546 | 03/06/2023 | Relating to the justified use of force by a school employee or volunteer against a student |
| 88(R) | HB 3318 | 03/02/2023 | Relating to the eligibility of certain children enrolled in a special education program for free prekindergarten programs in public schools |
| 88(R) | HB 3123 | 03/01/2023 | Relating to conditions of community supervision prohibiting contact with certain persons |
| 88(R) | HB 2938 | 02/27/2023 | Relating to certain requirements regarding public school class size |
| 88(R) | HB 2939 | 02/27/2023 | Relating to the applicability of certain laws governing public school requirements to a school district of innovation |
| 88(R) | HB 2942 | 02/27/2023 | Relating to the applicability of educator certification and contract requirements to school districts of innovation |
| 88(R) | HB 2718 | 02/23/2023 | Relating to the composition of the Board of Pardons and Paroles |
| 88(R) | HB 2570 | 02/21/2023 | Relating to the provision of accelerated and supplemental instruction to public school students who fail to achieve satisfactory performance on certain assessment instruments |
| 88(R) | HB 2300 | 02/14/2023 | Relating to the eligibility of certain criminal defendants for an order of nondisclosure of criminal history record information |
| 88(R) | HB 2172 | 02/10/2023 | Relating to annual reporting regarding the establishment of certain school district planning and decision-making committees |
| 88(R) | HB 1758 | 01/27/2023 | Relating to the payment of certain employer contributions for employed retirees of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
| 88(R) | HB 1705 | 01/26/2023 | Relating to the award of diligent participation credit to defendants confined in a state jail felony facility |
| 88(R) | HB 1626 | 01/25/2023 | Relating to a public school student’s transition from an alternative education program to a regular educational environment, including parental rights related to that transition, and the admission of certain students with a criminal or disciplinary history |
| 88(R) | HB 1628 | 01/25/2023 | Relating to state funding for school districts to which an academically unacceptable school district is annexed |
| 88(R) | HB 1539 | 01/23/2023 | Relating to program accessibility for female inmates of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice |
| 88(R) | HB 965 | 12/09/2022 | Relating to post-release housing for inmates released on parole or to mandatory supervision |
