Spring ISD parents can weigh in on student health, wellness and school safety at a virtual School Health Advisory Council meeting Wednesday, Oct. 28, from noon to 1 p.m.

The district posted the invitation on X on Monday, encouraging families to "share your ideas on student health, wellness and school safety." A link to join the virtual session was included in the post. The district also shared the announcement in Spanish.

A School Health Advisory Council, or SHAC, is a state-required body that advises school districts on health education and student wellness programming. Under the Texas Education Code, every district's board of trustees must appoint at least five members to its local SHAC. A majority of those members must be parents of enrolled students who are not employed by the district. One parent member must serve as chair or co-chair of the council.

The councils carry a broad mandate. According to a Texas Education Agency FAQ on SHACs, the bodies recommend policies and curriculum on topics including obesity and cardiovascular disease prevention, mental health services, substance abuse prevention, human sexuality instruction and opioid education. SHACs also advise districts on strategies to raise parental awareness of suicide risks and behavioral health concerns, including substance use disorders.

Texas law requires each SHAC to meet at least four times per school year. Districts must post notice of each meeting's date, time, location and subject on the district website at least 72 hours beforehand. After each meeting, the district must publish minutes and an audio or video recording. SHAC meetings are not subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act, but those transparency requirements give parents a way to track the council's work even if they cannot attend a session.

Spring ISD, led by Superintendent Kregg Cuellar, serves about 33,500 students across 41 campuses in the Spring area. The names of current SHAC members and the council's chair were not listed in public postings reviewed for this article. No formal agenda for Wednesday's meeting was publicly available as of Tuesday.

Parents who want to participate can find the virtual meeting link in the district's Oct. 26 post on X.