| |
| |
| |
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to measures for ensuring public school safety, including |
|
|
the development and implementation of purchases relating to and |
|
|
funding for public school safety and security requirements and the |
|
|
provision of safety-related resources. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 7.028(a), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a) Except as provided by Section 21.006(k), 22.093(l), |
|
|
22.096, 28.006, 29.001(5), 29.010(a), 33.006(h), 37.1083, 37.1084, |
|
|
38.003, or 39.003, the agency may monitor compliance with |
|
|
requirements applicable to a process or program provided by a |
|
|
school district, campus, program, or school granted charters under |
|
|
Chapter 12, including the process described by Subchapter F, |
|
|
Chapter 11, or a program described by Subchapter B, C, D, E, F, H, or |
|
|
I, Chapter 29, or Subchapter A, Chapter 37, only as necessary to |
|
|
ensure: |
|
|
(1) compliance with federal law and regulations; |
|
|
(2) financial accountability, including compliance |
|
|
with grant requirements; |
|
|
(3) data integrity for purposes of: |
|
|
(A) the Public Education Information Management |
|
|
System (PEIMS); and |
|
|
(B) accountability under Chapters 39 and 39A; and |
|
|
(4) qualification for funding under Chapter 48. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Sections 7.061(b) and (c), Education Code, are |
|
|
amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) The commissioner shall adopt or amend rules as necessary |
|
|
to ensure that facilities [building] standards for new and existing |
|
|
instructional facilities and other school district and |
|
|
open-enrollment charter school facilities, including construction |
|
|
quality, performance, operational, and other standards related to |
|
|
the safety and security of school facilities, provide a secure and |
|
|
safe environment. In adopting or amending rules under this |
|
|
section, the commissioner shall include the use of best practices |
|
|
for: |
|
|
(1) the design and construction of new facilities; and |
|
|
(2) the improvement, renovation, and retrofitting of |
|
|
existing facilities. |
|
|
(c) Not later than September 1 of each even-numbered year, |
|
|
the commissioner shall review all rules adopted or amended under |
|
|
this section and amend the rules as necessary to ensure that |
|
|
facilities [building] standards for school district and |
|
|
open-enrollment charter school facilities continue to provide a |
|
|
secure and safe environment. The commissioner shall, in |
|
|
consultation with the Texas School Safety Center, identify and |
|
|
adopt any changes recommended under Section 37.221. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 8, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 8.064 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 8.064. SCHOOL SAFETY SUPPORT. (a) A regional |
|
|
education service center shall act as a school safety resource, |
|
|
using materials and resources developed by the Texas School Safety |
|
|
Center or the agency in accordance with Chapter 37, for school |
|
|
districts and open-enrollment charter schools in the region served |
|
|
by the center. The center may assist a school district or |
|
|
open-enrollment charter school directly or in collaboration with |
|
|
the Texas School Safety Center and local law enforcement agencies, |
|
|
as applicable: |
|
|
(1) in developing and implementing a multihazard |
|
|
emergency operations plan under Section 37.108; |
|
|
(2) in establishing a school safety and security |
|
|
committee under Section 37.109; |
|
|
(3) in conducting emergency school drills and |
|
|
exercises; |
|
|
(4) in addressing deficiencies in campus security |
|
|
identified by a school safety review team under Section 37.1084; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(5) by providing guidance on any other matter relating |
|
|
to school safety and security. |
|
|
(b) A regional education service center: |
|
|
(1) shall provide assistance as necessary to the |
|
|
region's school safety review team established under Section |
|
|
37.1084; and |
|
|
(2) may provide assistance as necessary to school |
|
|
districts and open-enrollment charter schools in the region served |
|
|
by the center through the direct provision of positive behavioral |
|
|
interventions and supports to a student enrolled in one of those |
|
|
districts or schools to mitigate or prevent future harmful, |
|
|
threatening, or violent behavior by the student. |
|
|
SECTION 4. Section 12.104(b), Education Code, as amended by |
|
|
Chapters 542 (S.B. 168), 887 (S.B. 1697), 915 (H.B. 3607), 974 (S.B. |
|
|
2081), and 1046 (S.B. 1365), Acts of the 87th Legislature, Regular |
|
|
Session, 2021, is reenacted and amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) An open-enrollment charter school is subject to: |
|
|
(1) a provision of this title establishing a criminal |
|
|
offense; |
|
|
(2) the provisions in Chapter 554, Government Code; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(3) a prohibition, restriction, or requirement, as |
|
|
applicable, imposed by this title or a rule adopted under this |
|
|
title, relating to: |
|
|
(A) the Public Education Information Management |
|
|
System (PEIMS) to the extent necessary to monitor compliance with |
|
|
this subchapter as determined by the commissioner; |
|
|
(B) criminal history records under Subchapter C, |
|
|
Chapter 22; |
|
|
(C) reading instruments and accelerated reading |
|
|
instruction programs under Section 28.006; |
|
|
(D) accelerated instruction under Section |
|
|
28.0211; |
|
|
(E) high school graduation requirements under |
|
|
Section 28.025; |
|
|
(F) special education programs under Subchapter |
|
|
A, Chapter 29; |
|
|
(G) bilingual education under Subchapter B, |
|
|
Chapter 29; |
|
|
(H) prekindergarten programs under Subchapter E |
|
|
or E-1, Chapter 29, except class size limits for prekindergarten |
|
|
classes imposed under Section 25.112, which do not apply; |
|
|
(I) extracurricular activities under Section |
|
|
33.081; |
|
|
(J) discipline management practices or behavior |
|
|
management techniques under Section 37.0021; |
|
|
(K) health and safety under Chapter 38; |
|
|
(L) the provisions of Subchapter A, Chapter 39; |
|
|
(M) public school accountability and special |
|
|
investigations under Subchapters A, B, C, D, F, G, and J, Chapter |
|
|
39, and Chapter 39A; |
|
|
(N) the requirement under Section 21.006 to |
|
|
report an educator's misconduct; |
|
|
(O) intensive programs of instruction under |
|
|
Section 28.0213; |
|
|
(P) the right of a school employee to report a |
|
|
crime, as provided by Section 37.148; |
|
|
(Q) bullying prevention policies and procedures |
|
|
under Section 37.0832; |
|
|
(R) the right of a school under Section 37.0052 |
|
|
to place a student who has engaged in certain bullying behavior in a |
|
|
disciplinary alternative education program or to expel the student; |
|
|
(S) the right under Section 37.0151 to report to |
|
|
local law enforcement certain conduct constituting assault or |
|
|
harassment; |
|
|
(T) a parent's right to information regarding the |
|
|
provision of assistance for learning difficulties to the parent's |
|
|
child as provided by Sections 26.004(b)(11) and 26.0081(c) and (d); |
|
|
(U) establishment of residency under Section |
|
|
25.001; |
|
|
(V) school safety requirements under Sections |
|
|
37.0814, 37.108, 37.1081, 37.1082, 37.1083, 37.1084, 37.1085, |
|
|
37.1086, 37.109, 37.113, 37.114, 37.1141, 37.115, 37.207, and |
|
|
37.2071 and Subchapter J, Chapter 37; |
|
|
(W) the early childhood literacy and mathematics |
|
|
proficiency plans under Section 11.185; |
|
|
(X) the college, career, and military readiness |
|
|
plans under Section 11.186; and |
|
|
(Y) [(X)] parental options to retain a student |
|
|
under Section 28.02124. |
|
|
SECTION 5. Subchapter Z, Chapter 22, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 22.904 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 22.904. MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING. (a) Except as |
|
|
otherwise provided by this section, a school district shall require |
|
|
each district employee who regularly interacts with students |
|
|
enrolled at the district to complete an evidence-based mental |
|
|
health training program designed to provide instruction to |
|
|
participants regarding the recognition and support of children and |
|
|
youth who experience a mental health or substance use issue that may |
|
|
pose a threat to school safety. |
|
|
(b) A school district may not require a district employee |
|
|
who has previously completed mental health training offered by a |
|
|
local mental health authority under Section 1001.203, Health and |
|
|
Safety Code, to complete the training required by this section. |
|
|
(c) From funds appropriated for the purpose, the agency |
|
|
shall provide an allotment to each school district to assist the |
|
|
district in complying with this section. The amount of an allotment |
|
|
provided to a school district under this subsection may not exceed |
|
|
the costs incurred by the district for employees' travel, training |
|
|
fees, and compensation for the time spent completing the training |
|
|
required by this section. The agency may proportionally reduce |
|
|
each district's allotment if the amount appropriated is |
|
|
insufficient to pay for all costs incurred by districts under this |
|
|
subsection. |
|
|
(d) The State Board for Educator Certification shall |
|
|
propose rules allowing an educator to receive credit toward the |
|
|
educator's continuing education requirements under Section |
|
|
21.054(g) for the educator's participation in mental health |
|
|
training under this section. |
|
|
(e) The commissioner shall adopt rules to implement this |
|
|
section, including rules specifying the training fees and travel |
|
|
expenses subject to reimbursement under Subsection (c). |
|
|
SECTION 6. Section 25.002(a), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a) If a parent or other person with legal control of a child |
|
|
under a court order enrolls the child in a public school, the parent |
|
|
or other person or the school district in which the child most |
|
|
recently attended school shall furnish to the school district: |
|
|
(1) the child's birth certificate or another document |
|
|
suitable as proof of the child's identity; |
|
|
(2) a copy of the child's records from the school the |
|
|
child most recently attended if the child has been previously |
|
|
enrolled in a school in this state or another state, including for a |
|
|
child who most recently attended a public school in this state, a |
|
|
copy of the child's disciplinary record and any threat assessment |
|
|
involving the child's behavior conducted under Section 37.115; and |
|
|
(3) a record showing that the child has the |
|
|
immunizations as required under Section 38.001, in the case of a |
|
|
child required under that section to be immunized, proof as |
|
|
required by that section showing that the child is not required to |
|
|
be immunized, or proof that the child is entitled to provisional |
|
|
admission under that section and under rules adopted under that |
|
|
section. |
|
|
SECTION 7. Section 25.036, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: |
|
|
(c) In the case of a transfer under this section, a child's |
|
|
school district of residence shall provide the receiving district |
|
|
with the child's disciplinary record and any threat assessment |
|
|
involving the child's behavior conducted under Section 37.115. |
|
|
SECTION 8. Section 37.081, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), (a-3), |
|
|
and (a-4) to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) The board of trustees of any school district may: |
|
|
(1) employ or contract with security personnel; |
|
|
(2) [,] enter into a memorandum of understanding with |
|
|
a local law enforcement agency or a county or municipality that is |
|
|
the employing political subdivision of commissioned peace officers |
|
|
for the provision of school resource officers; |
|
|
(3) for the purposes of providing security personnel, |
|
|
contract with a security services contractor licensed under Chapter |
|
|
1702, Occupations Code, for the provision of a commissioned |
|
|
security officer, as defined by Section 1702.002, Occupations Code, |
|
|
who has completed the Level II or III training course required by |
|
|
the Department of Public Safety; [,] and |
|
|
(4) commission peace officers to carry out this |
|
|
subchapter. |
|
|
(a-1) [If a board of trustees authorizes a person employed |
|
|
as security personnel to carry a weapon, the person must be a |
|
|
commissioned peace officer.] The jurisdiction of a peace officer, |
|
|
a school resource officer, or security personnel under this section |
|
|
shall be determined by the board of trustees and may include all |
|
|
territory in the boundaries of the school district and all property |
|
|
outside the boundaries of the district that is owned, leased, or |
|
|
rented by or otherwise under the control of the school district and |
|
|
the board of trustees that employ or contract with, as applicable, |
|
|
the peace officer or security personnel or that enter into a |
|
|
memorandum of understanding for the provision of a school resource |
|
|
officer. |
|
|
(a-2) A memorandum of understanding for the provision of |
|
|
school resource officers entered into under Subsection (a) must: |
|
|
(1) be in the form of an interlocal contract under |
|
|
Chapter 791, Government Code; and |
|
|
(2) use a proportionate cost allocation methodology to |
|
|
address any costs or fees incurred by the school district or the |
|
|
local law enforcement agency, county, or municipality, as |
|
|
applicable. |
|
|
(a-3) The cost allocation methodology used under Subsection |
|
|
(a-2)(2) may allow a local law enforcement agency, county, or |
|
|
municipality, as applicable, to recoup direct costs incurred as a |
|
|
result of the contract but may not allow the agency, county, or |
|
|
municipality to profit under the contract. |
|
|
(a-4) A school district, local law enforcement agency, |
|
|
county, or municipality that enters into a memorandum of |
|
|
understanding under Subsection (a) may seek funding from federal, |
|
|
state, and private sources to support the cost of providing school |
|
|
resource officers under this section. |
|
|
SECTION 9. Section 37.0812(a), Education Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) A school district peace officer or school resource |
|
|
officer shall complete an active shooter response training program |
|
|
approved by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement at least once in |
|
|
each four-year period. |
|
|
SECTION 10. Subchapter C, Chapter 37, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 37.0814 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 37.0814. ARMED SECURITY OFFICER REQUIRED. (a) The |
|
|
board of trustees of each school district shall determine the |
|
|
appropriate number of armed security officers for each district |
|
|
campus. The board must ensure that at least one armed security |
|
|
officer is present during regular school hours at each district |
|
|
campus. |
|
|
(b) A security officer described by Subsection (a) must be: |
|
|
(1) a school district peace officer; |
|
|
(2) a school resource officer; or |
|
|
(3) a commissioned peace officer employed as security |
|
|
personnel under Section 37.081. |
|
|
(c) If the board of trustees of a school district is unable |
|
|
to comply with this section, the board may claim a good cause |
|
|
exception from the requirement to comply with this section if the |
|
|
district's noncompliance is due to the availability of: |
|
|
(1) funding; or |
|
|
(2) personnel who qualify to serve as a security |
|
|
officer described by Subsection (a). |
|
|
(d) The board of trustees of a school district that claims a |
|
|
good cause exception under Subsection (c) must develop an |
|
|
alternative standard with which the district is able to comply, |
|
|
which may include providing a person to act as a security officer |
|
|
who is: |
|
|
(1) a school marshal; or |
|
|
(2) a school district employee or a person with whom |
|
|
the district contracts who: |
|
|
(A) has completed school safety training |
|
|
provided by a qualified handgun instructor certified in school |
|
|
safety under Section 411.1901, Government Code; and |
|
|
(B) carries a handgun on school premises in |
|
|
accordance with written regulations or written authorization of the |
|
|
district under Section 46.03(a)(1)(A), Penal Code. |
|
|
(e) The board of trustees of a school district must develop |
|
|
and maintain documentation of the district's implementation of and |
|
|
compliance with this section, including documentation related to a |
|
|
good cause exception claimed under Subsection (c), and shall, if |
|
|
requested by the agency, provide that documentation to the agency |
|
|
in the manner prescribed by the agency. |
|
|
SECTION 11. Subchapter C, Chapter 37, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 37.089 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 37.089. ROLE OF PERSONS CARRYING A FIREARM ON SCHOOL |
|
|
GROUNDS. (a) Subject to Subsection (b), a person permitted to carry |
|
|
a firearm on the campus of a school district may not perform the |
|
|
routine law enforcement duties of a peace officer, including making |
|
|
arrests, unless the duty is performed in response to an emergency |
|
|
that poses a threat of death or serious bodily injury to a student, |
|
|
school district employee, or other individual at the district |
|
|
campus. |
|
|
(b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a commissioned peace |
|
|
officer who is assigned law enforcement duties that are included in |
|
|
campus and district documents describing the role of peace officers |
|
|
in the district as required by Section 37.081(d). |
|
|
SECTION 12. Section 37.108, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsections (a), (b), and (f) and adding Subsection (h) to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a) Each school district or public junior college district |
|
|
shall adopt and implement a multihazard emergency operations plan |
|
|
for use in the district's facilities. The plan must address |
|
|
prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery as |
|
|
defined by the Texas School Safety Center in conjunction with the |
|
|
governor's office of homeland security, [and] the commissioner of |
|
|
education, and the [or] commissioner of higher education[, as |
|
|
applicable]. The plan must provide for: |
|
|
(1) training in responding to an emergency for |
|
|
district employees, including substitute teachers; |
|
|
(2) measures to ensure district employees, including |
|
|
substitute teachers, have classroom access to a telephone, |
|
|
including a cellular telephone, or another electronic |
|
|
communication device allowing for immediate contact with district |
|
|
emergency services or emergency services agencies, law enforcement |
|
|
agencies, health departments, and fire departments; |
|
|
(3) measures to ensure district communications |
|
|
technology and infrastructure are adequate to allow for |
|
|
communication during an emergency; |
|
|
(4) if the plan applies to a school district, |
|
|
mandatory school drills and exercises, including drills required |
|
|
under Section 37.114, to prepare district students and employees |
|
|
for responding to an emergency; |
|
|
(5) measures to ensure coordination with the |
|
|
Department of State Health Services and local emergency management |
|
|
agencies, law enforcement, health departments, and fire |
|
|
departments in the event of an emergency; [and] |
|
|
(6) the implementation of a safety and security audit |
|
|
as required by Subsection (b); and |
|
|
(7) any other requirements established by the Texas |
|
|
School Safety Center in consultation with the agency and relevant |
|
|
local law enforcement agencies. |
|
|
(b) At least once every three years, each school district or |
|
|
public junior college district shall conduct a safety and security |
|
|
audit of the district's facilities. A [To the extent possible, a] |
|
|
district, or a person included in the registry established by the |
|
|
Texas School Safety Center under Section 37.2091 who is engaged by |
|
|
the district to conduct a safety and security audit, shall follow |
|
|
safety and security audit procedures developed by the Texas School |
|
|
Safety Center in coordination with the commissioner of education or |
|
|
commissioner of higher education, as applicable [or a person |
|
|
included in the registry established by the Texas School Safety |
|
|
Center under Section 37.2091]. |
|
|
(f) A school district shall include in its multihazard |
|
|
emergency operations plan: |
|
|
(1) a chain of command that designates the individual |
|
|
responsible for making final decisions during a disaster or |
|
|
emergency situation and identifies other individuals responsible |
|
|
for making those decisions if the designated person is unavailable; |
|
|
(2) provisions that address physical and |
|
|
psychological safety for responding to a natural disaster, active |
|
|
shooter, and any other dangerous scenario identified for purposes |
|
|
of this section by the agency or the Texas School Safety Center; |
|
|
(3) provisions for ensuring the safety of students in |
|
|
portable buildings; |
|
|
(4) provisions for ensuring that students and district |
|
|
personnel with disabilities are provided equal access to safety |
|
|
during a disaster or emergency situation; |
|
|
(5) provisions for providing immediate notification |
|
|
to parents, guardians, and other persons standing in parental |
|
|
relation in circumstances involving a significant threat to the |
|
|
health or safety of students, including identification of the |
|
|
individual with responsibility for overseeing the notification; |
|
|
(6) provisions for supporting the psychological |
|
|
safety of students, district personnel, and the community during |
|
|
the response and recovery phase following a disaster or emergency |
|
|
situation that: |
|
|
(A) are aligned with best practice-based |
|
|
programs and research-based practices recommended under Section |
|
|
38.351; |
|
|
(B) include strategies for ensuring any required |
|
|
professional development training for suicide prevention and |
|
|
grief-informed and trauma-informed care is provided to appropriate |
|
|
school personnel; |
|
|
(C) include training on integrating |
|
|
psychological safety and suicide prevention strategies into the |
|
|
district's plan, such as psychological first aid for schools |
|
|
training, from an approved list of recommended training established |
|
|
by the commissioner and Texas School Safety Center for: |
|
|
(i) members of the district's school safety |
|
|
and security committee under Section 37.109; |
|
|
(ii) district school counselors and mental |
|
|
health professionals; and |
|
|
(iii) educators and other district |
|
|
personnel as determined by the district; |
|
|
(D) include strategies and procedures for |
|
|
integrating and supporting physical and psychological safety that |
|
|
align with the provisions described by Subdivision (2); and |
|
|
(E) implement trauma-informed policies; |
|
|
(7) a policy for providing a substitute teacher access |
|
|
to school campus buildings and materials necessary for the |
|
|
substitute teacher to carry out the duties of a district employee |
|
|
during an emergency or a mandatory emergency drill; [and] |
|
|
(8) the name of each individual on the district's |
|
|
school safety and security committee established under Section |
|
|
37.109 and the date of each committee meeting during the preceding |
|
|
year; and |
|
|
(9) certification that the district is in compliance |
|
|
with Section 37.117. |
|
|
(h) The Texas School Safety Center and the agency shall |
|
|
provide school safety-related data collected by the center or |
|
|
agency to each other on request. |
|
|
SECTION 13. Section 37.1081(a), Education Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) If the board of trustees of a school district receives |
|
|
notice of noncompliance under Section 37.207(e) or 37.2071(d) or |
|
|
(g) [37.2071(g)], the board shall hold a public hearing to notify |
|
|
the public of: |
|
|
(1) the district's failure to: |
|
|
(A) submit or correct deficiencies in a |
|
|
multihazard emergency operations plan; or |
|
|
(B) report the results of a safety and security |
|
|
audit to the Texas School Safety Center as required by law; |
|
|
(2) the dates during which the district has not been in |
|
|
compliance; and |
|
|
(3) the names of each member of the board of trustees |
|
|
and the superintendent serving in that capacity during the dates |
|
|
the district was not in compliance. |
|
|
SECTION 14. Subchapter D, Chapter 37, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Sections 37.1083, 37.1084, 37.1085, 37.1086, and |
|
|
37.1131 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 37.1083. AGENCY MONITORING OF SCHOOL DISTRICT SAFETY |
|
|
AND SECURITY REQUIREMENTS. (a) The agency shall monitor the |
|
|
implementation and operation of requirements related to school |
|
|
district safety and security, including school district: |
|
|
(1) multihazard emergency operations plans; and |
|
|
(2) safety and security audits. |
|
|
(b) The agency shall establish an office of school safety |
|
|
and security within the agency that consists of individuals with |
|
|
substantial expertise and experience in school or law enforcement |
|
|
safety and security operations and oversight at the local, state, |
|
|
or federal level to coordinate the agency's monitoring of school |
|
|
district safety and security requirements under this section. The |
|
|
director of the office is appointed by the governor and confirmed by |
|
|
the senate and must report directly to the commissioner. |
|
|
(c) The agency shall, in coordination with the Texas School |
|
|
Safety Center and relevant local law enforcement agencies, provide |
|
|
technical assistance to school districts to support the |
|
|
implementation and operation of safety and security requirements. |
|
|
(d) As part of the technical assistance provided under |
|
|
Subsection (c), the agency shall conduct a detailed vulnerability |
|
|
assessment of each school district on a random basis determined by |
|
|
the agency once every four years. The assessment must: |
|
|
(1) assess facility access controls, emergency |
|
|
operations procedures, and other school safety requirements; and |
|
|
(2) to the greatest extent practicable, coincide with |
|
|
the safety and security audit required under Section 37.108. |
|
|
(e) The agency shall use a rubric developed by the office of |
|
|
school safety and security in collaboration with the Texas School |
|
|
Safety Center to conduct a vulnerability assessment of a school |
|
|
district under Subsection (d). |
|
|
(f) On completion of a vulnerability assessment under |
|
|
Subsection (d), the agency shall provide to the superintendent and |
|
|
school safety and security committee established under Section |
|
|
37.109 for the applicable school district a report on the results of |
|
|
the assessment that includes recommendations and required |
|
|
corrective actions to address any deficiencies in campus security |
|
|
identified by the agency. |
|
|
(g) The agency may engage a third party as necessary to |
|
|
enable the agency to monitor the implementation and operation of |
|
|
school district safety and security requirements under this |
|
|
section. |
|
|
(h) The agency may require a school district to submit |
|
|
information necessary for the agency to monitor the implementation |
|
|
and operation of school district safety and security requirements |
|
|
under this section, including: |
|
|
(1) notice of an event requiring a district's |
|
|
emergency response including the discovery of a firearm on a |
|
|
campus; and |
|
|
(2) information regarding the district's response and |
|
|
use of emergency operations procedures during an event described by |
|
|
Subdivision (1). |
|
|
(i) The agency may review school district records as |
|
|
necessary to ensure compliance with this subchapter and Subchapter |
|
|
G. |
|
|
(j) Any document or information collected, identified, |
|
|
developed, or produced relating to the monitoring of school |
|
|
district safety and security requirements under this section is |
|
|
confidential under Sections 418.177 and 418.181, Government Code, |
|
|
and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code. |
|
|
(k) The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to |
|
|
administer this section. |
|
|
Sec. 37.1084. REGIONAL SCHOOL SAFETY REVIEW TEAMS. (a) In |
|
|
this section: |
|
|
(1) "Office" means the office of school safety and |
|
|
security established under Section 37.1083. |
|
|
(2) "Team" means a school safety review team |
|
|
established under this section. |
|
|
(b) The office shall establish a school safety review team |
|
|
in each region served by a regional education service center. A |
|
|
team shall annually conduct on-site general intruder detection |
|
|
audits of school district campuses in the team's region. In |
|
|
conducting an intruder detection audit, a team must: |
|
|
(1) use a rubric developed by the office in |
|
|
consultation with the Texas School Safety Center; |
|
|
(2) not later than the seventh day before the date of a |
|
|
scheduled audit, notify the superintendent of the school district |
|
|
in which the campus being audited is located; and |
|
|
(3) on completion of the audit, provide to the |
|
|
superintendent and school safety and security committee |
|
|
established under Section 37.109 for the school district in which |
|
|
the campus is located a report on the results of the audit that |
|
|
includes recommendations and required corrective actions to |
|
|
address any deficiencies in campus security identified by the team. |
|
|
(c) A regional education service center shall provide |
|
|
support as necessary to assist the region's team in conducting |
|
|
intruder detection audits under this section. |
|
|
(d) A report produced by a team under this section is |
|
|
confidential and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, |
|
|
Government Code. |
|
|
Sec. 37.1085. ASSIGNMENT OF CONSERVATOR FOR NONCOMPLIANCE |
|
|
WITH SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY REQUIREMENTS. (a) Except as |
|
|
provided by Subsection (c), the commissioner may assign a |
|
|
conservator under Chapter 39A if a school district fails to: |
|
|
(1) submit to any required monitoring, assessment, or |
|
|
audit under Section 37.1083 or 37.1084; |
|
|
(2) comply with applicable safety and security |
|
|
requirements; or |
|
|
(3) address in a reasonable time period, as determined |
|
|
by commissioner rule, issues raised by the agency's monitoring, |
|
|
assessment, or audit of the district under Section 37.1083 or |
|
|
37.1084. |
|
|
(b) A conservator assigned to a district under this section |
|
|
may exercise the powers and duties of a conservator under Section |
|
|
39A.003 only to correct a failure identified under Subsection (a). |
|
|
(c) This section does not apply to a school district's |
|
|
failure to comply with Section 37.0814 or a good cause exception |
|
|
claimed under that section. |
|
|
Sec. 37.1086. GUIDELINES FOR MULTIHAZARD EMERGENCY |
|
|
OPERATIONS PLAN PROVISIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES OR |
|
|
IMPAIRMENTS. (a) The agency shall establish guidelines for the |
|
|
provisions in a school district's multihazard emergency operations |
|
|
plan under Section 37.108(f)(4) to ensure the safety of students |
|
|
and district personnel with disabilities or impairments during a |
|
|
disaster or emergency situation, in consultation with: |
|
|
(1) the Texas School Safety Center; |
|
|
(2) regional education service centers; |
|
|
(3) public school educators who work with students |
|
|
with disabilities or impairments; and |
|
|
(4) advocacy groups representing individuals with |
|
|
disabilities or impairments. |
|
|
(b) A school district must follow the guidelines |
|
|
established by the agency under Subsection (a) in adopting and |
|
|
implementing the district's multihazard emergency operations plan |
|
|
under Section 37.108. |
|
|
Sec. 37.1131. NOTIFICATION REGARDING VIOLENT ACTIVITY. (a) |
|
|
The agency shall develop model standards for providing notice |
|
|
regarding violent activity that has occurred or is being |
|
|
investigated at a school district campus or other district facility |
|
|
or at a district-sponsored activity to parents, guardians, and |
|
|
other persons standing in parental relation to students who are |
|
|
assigned to the campus, regularly use the facility, or are |
|
|
attending the activity, as applicable. The standards must: |
|
|
(1) include electronic notification through text |
|
|
messaging and e-mail; |
|
|
(2) provide an option for real-time notification; and |
|
|
(3) protect student privacy. |
|
|
(b) Each school district shall adopt a policy for providing |
|
|
notice described by Subsection (a) in a manner that meets the |
|
|
standards adopted under that subsection. |
|
|
SECTION 15. Section 37.115, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (j-1) to read as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
(c) The board of trustees of each school district shall |
|
|
establish a threat assessment and safe and supportive school team |
|
|
to serve at each campus of the district and shall adopt policies and |
|
|
procedures for the teams. The team is responsible for developing |
|
|
and implementing the safe and supportive school program under |
|
|
Subsection (b) at the district campus served by the team. The |
|
|
policies and procedures adopted under this section must: |
|
|
(1) be consistent with the model policies and |
|
|
procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center; |
|
|
(2) require each team to complete training provided by |
|
|
the Texas School Safety Center or a regional education service |
|
|
center regarding evidence-based threat assessment programs; [and] |
|
|
(3) require each team established under this section |
|
|
to report the information required under Subsection (k) regarding |
|
|
the team's activities to the agency; and |
|
|
(4) require each district campus to establish a clear |
|
|
procedure for a student to report concerning behavior exhibited by |
|
|
another student for assessment by the team or other appropriate |
|
|
school employee. |
|
|
(j-1) Materials and information provided to or produced by a |
|
|
team during a threat assessment of a student under this section must |
|
|
be maintained in the student's school record until the student's |
|
|
24th birthday. |
|
|
SECTION 16. Subchapter D, Chapter 37, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 37.117 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 37.117. EMERGENCY RESPONSE MAP AND WALK-THROUGH. Each |
|
|
school district and open-enrollment charter school shall provide to |
|
|
the Department of Public Safety and all appropriate local law |
|
|
enforcement agencies and emergency first responders: |
|
|
(1) an accurate map of each district campus and school |
|
|
building that is developed and documented in accordance with the |
|
|
standards described by Section 37.351 related to developing site |
|
|
and floor plans, access control, and exterior door numbering; and |
|
|
(2) an opportunity to conduct a walk-through of each |
|
|
district campus and school building using the map described by |
|
|
Subdivision (1). |
|
|
SECTION 17. Sections 37.2071(b), (c), (d), (f), (g), and |
|
|
(h), Education Code, are amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) A school district or public junior college district |
|
|
shall submit its multihazard emergency operations plan to the |
|
|
center: |
|
|
(1) not later than the 30th day after the date [on |
|
|
request of] the center requests the submission; and |
|
|
(2) in accordance with the center's review cycle |
|
|
developed under Subsection (a). |
|
|
(c) The center shall review each district's multihazard |
|
|
emergency operations plan submitted under Subsection (b) and: |
|
|
(1) verify the plan meets the requirements of Section |
|
|
37.108; or |
|
|
(2) provide the district with written notice: |
|
|
(A) describing the plan's deficiencies; [and] |
|
|
(B) including specific recommendations to |
|
|
correct the deficiencies; and |
|
|
(C) stating that the district must correct the |
|
|
deficiencies in its plan and resubmit the revised plan to the |
|
|
center. |
|
|
(d) If a district fails to submit its multihazard emergency |
|
|
operations plan to the center for review following a notification |
|
|
by the center that the district has failed to submit the district's |
|
|
plan, the center shall provide the district with written notice |
|
|
stating that the district must hold a public hearing under Section |
|
|
37.1081[: |
|
|
[(1) has failed to submit a plan; and |
|
|
[(2) must submit a plan to the center for review and |
|
|
verification]. |
|
|
(f) If one month [three months] after the date of initial |
|
|
notification of a plan's deficiencies under Subsection (c)(2) [or |
|
|
failure to submit a plan under Subsection (d)] a district has not |
|
|
corrected the plan deficiencies [or has failed to submit a plan], |
|
|
the center shall provide written notice to the district and agency |
|
|
that the district has not complied with the requirements of this |
|
|
section and must comply immediately. |
|
|
(g) If a school district still has not corrected the plan |
|
|
deficiencies three [or has failed to submit a plan six] months after |
|
|
the date of initial notification under Subsection (c)(2) [or (d)], |
|
|
the center shall provide written notice to the school district |
|
|
stating that the district must hold a public hearing under Section |
|
|
37.1081. |
|
|
(h) If a school district has failed to submit a plan, the |
|
|
notice required by Subsection (d) [(g)] must state that the |
|
|
commissioner is authorized to appoint a conservator under Section |
|
|
37.1082. |
|
|
SECTION 18. Section 37.2091, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows: |
|
|
(b-1) A school district must confirm that a person is |
|
|
included in the registry established under Subsection (b) before |
|
|
the district may engage the person to provide school safety or |
|
|
security consulting services to the district. |
|
|
SECTION 19. Subchapter G, Chapter 37, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Sections 37.221 and 37.222 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 37.221. FACILITIES STANDARDS REVIEW. (a) At least |
|
|
once every five years, the center shall review the facilities |
|
|
standards for instructional facilities adopted under Section 7.061 |
|
|
and make recommendations to the commissioner regarding any changes |
|
|
necessary to ensure that the facilities standards: |
|
|
(1) reflect best practices for improving school safety |
|
|
through the design and construction of school facilities; and |
|
|
(2) are consistent with standards adopted under |
|
|
Chapter 469, Government Code, regarding the elimination of |
|
|
architectural barriers. |
|
|
(b) The center and commissioner may consult with |
|
|
stakeholders with relevant expertise regarding whether any updates |
|
|
to requirements for the use of funds granted or allocated to school |
|
|
districts for purposes of improving the safety and security of |
|
|
school facilities are necessary to align with best practices. |
|
|
(c) In updating facilities standards, the commissioner |
|
|
shall: |
|
|
(1) incorporate input from the center and stakeholders |
|
|
with relevant expertise regarding best practices for standards |
|
|
applicable to the design and construction of school facilities; and |
|
|
(2) ensure the standards are updated as necessary to |
|
|
ensure compliance with any changes to state law and local building |
|
|
codes. |
|
|
Sec. 37.222. RESOURCES ON SAFE FIREARM STORAGE. (a) The |
|
|
center, in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety, |
|
|
shall provide to each school district and open-enrollment charter |
|
|
school information and other resources regarding the safe storage |
|
|
of firearms for distribution by the district or school under |
|
|
Subsection (b), including information on: |
|
|
(1) the offense under Section 46.13, Penal Code; and |
|
|
(2) ways in which parents and guardians can |
|
|
effectively prevent children from accessing firearms. |
|
|
(b) Each school district and open-enrollment charter school |
|
|
shall provide the information and other resources described under |
|
|
Subsection (a) to the parent or guardian of each student enrolled in |
|
|
the district or school. |
|
|
SECTION 20. Chapter 37, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subchapter J to read as follows: |
|
|
SUBCHAPTER J. SAFETY AND SECURITY REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES |
|
|
Sec. 37.351. FACILITIES STANDARDS COMPLIANCE. (a) A school |
|
|
district must ensure that each district facility complies with each |
|
|
school facilities standard, including performance standards and |
|
|
operational requirements, related to safety and security adopted |
|
|
under Section 7.061 or provided by other law or agency rule. |
|
|
(b) A school district must develop and maintain |
|
|
documentation of the district's implementation of and compliance |
|
|
with school safety and security facilities standards for each |
|
|
district facility, including a good cause exception claimed under |
|
|
Section 37.353, and shall, if requested by the agency, provide that |
|
|
documentation to the agency in the manner prescribed by the agency. |
|
|
Sec. 37.352. PURCHASING REQUIREMENTS. A school district |
|
|
shall comply with all applicable state laws and rules relating to |
|
|
procurement for district purchases relating to achieving |
|
|
compliance with the facilities standards adopted under Section |
|
|
7.061 or provided by other law or agency rule. |
|
|
Sec. 37.353. GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION. (a) If a school |
|
|
district is unable to bring a district facility into compliance |
|
|
with a school facilities standard related to safety and security, |
|
|
the district may claim a good cause exception from the requirement |
|
|
to comply with that standard, including for a reason related to: |
|
|
(1) the age, physical design, or location of the |
|
|
noncompliant facility; |
|
|
(2) the projected remaining use or functional life of |
|
|
the noncompliant facility; |
|
|
(3) availability of funding; or |
|
|
(4) supply chain obstacles. |
|
|
(b) A school district that claims a good cause exception |
|
|
under Subsection (a) must develop an alternative performance |
|
|
standard with which the district is able to comply. |
|
|
Sec. 37.354. FUNDING FOR FACILITIES STANDARDS COMPLIANCE. |
|
|
(a) The commissioner may authorize a school district to use money |
|
|
provided to the district for the purpose of improving school safety |
|
|
and security, including the school safety allotment under Section |
|
|
48.115 or any other funding or grant money available to the district |
|
|
for that purpose, to comply with the requirements of this |
|
|
subchapter. |
|
|
(a-1) Funds appropriated in S.B. 30, Acts of the 88th |
|
|
Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, or similar legislation, for the |
|
|
purpose of improving school safety and security, may be used as |
|
|
described by Subsection (a). This subsection expires September 1, |
|
|
2026. |
|
|
(b) The commissioner may adopt rules regarding safety and |
|
|
security requirements with which a school district must comply to |
|
|
receive funding or grant money available for the purpose of |
|
|
improving school safety and security. |
|
|
Sec. 37.355. CONFIDENTIALITY. (a) Any document or |
|
|
information collected, identified, developed, or produced relating |
|
|
to a safety or security requirement under this subchapter is |
|
|
confidential under Sections 418.177 and 418.181, Government Code, |
|
|
and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code. |
|
|
(b) The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to |
|
|
administer this section. |
|
|
SECTION 21. Section 38.022, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
(a) A school district may require a person who enters |
|
|
property under the district's control [a district campus] to |
|
|
display the person's driver's license, [or] another form of |
|
|
identification containing the person's photograph issued by a |
|
|
governmental entity, or, if applicable, the person's district |
|
|
employee or student identification card. The person must provide |
|
|
the identification on request. |
|
|
(a-1) A school district may eject a person from district |
|
|
property if: |
|
|
(1) the person refuses or fails to provide on request |
|
|
identification described by Subsection (a); and |
|
|
(2) it reasonably appears that the person has no |
|
|
legitimate reason to be on district property. |
|
|
SECTION 22. Subchapter E, Chapter 45, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 45.1011 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 45.1011. USE OF BOND PROCEEDS FOR SCHOOL SAFETY |
|
|
COMPLIANCE. (a) The proceeds of bonds issued by a school district |
|
|
for the construction and equipment of school buildings in the |
|
|
district and the purchase of the necessary sites for school |
|
|
buildings may be used to pay the costs associated with complying |
|
|
with school safety and security requirements for school facilities |
|
|
in accordance with Section 37.351. |
|
|
(b) This subsection applies to a school district that has |
|
|
been determined by the agency, through the agency's monitoring of |
|
|
safety and security requirements under Section 37.1083, to not be |
|
|
in compliance with those requirements. Notwithstanding any other |
|
|
law, a school district to which this subsection applies must use the |
|
|
proceeds of bonds described by Subsection (a) to achieve compliance |
|
|
with applicable safety and security requirements in accordance with |
|
|
Section 37.351 before the district may use those proceeds for any |
|
|
other authorized purpose. |
|
|
SECTION 23. Section 48.115, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsections (a-1), |
|
|
(b-1), (b-2), (c-1), and (e) to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (a-1), [From funds |
|
|
appropriated for that purpose, the commissioner shall provide to] a |
|
|
school district is entitled to an annual allotment equal to the sum |
|
|
of the following amounts or a greater [in the] amount provided by |
|
|
appropriation: |
|
|
(1) $10 for each student in average daily attendance, |
|
|
plus $1 for each student in average daily attendance per every $50 |
|
|
by which the district's maximum basic allotment under Section |
|
|
48.051 exceeds $6,160, prorated as necessary; and |
|
|
(2) $15,000 per campus. |
|
|
(a-1) A school district campus that provides only virtual |
|
|
instruction or utilizes only facilities not subject to the |
|
|
district's control is not included for purposes of determining a |
|
|
school district's allotment under Subsection (a). |
|
|
(b) Funds allocated under this section must be used to |
|
|
improve school safety and security, including costs associated |
|
|
with: |
|
|
(1) securing school facilities in accordance with the |
|
|
requirements of Section 37.351, including: |
|
|
(A) improvements to school infrastructure; |
|
|
(B) the use or installation of perimeter security |
|
|
fencing conducive to a public school learning environment or |
|
|
physical barriers, which may not include razor wire; [and] |
|
|
(C) exterior door and window safety and security |
|
|
upgrades, including exterior door numbering and locking systems and |
|
|
security film that provides resistance to a forced entry; and |
|
|
(D) the purchase and maintenance of: |
|
|
(i) security cameras and, if the district |
|
|
has already installed security cameras, [or] other security |
|
|
equipment, including video surveillance as provided by Section |
|
|
29.022; and |
|
|
(ii) technology, including communications |
|
|
systems or devices, such as silent panic alert devices, two-way |
|
|
radios, or wireless Internet booster equipment, that facilitates |
|
|
communication and information sharing between students, school |
|
|
personnel, and first responders in an emergency; |
|
|
(2) providing security for the district, including: |
|
|
(A) employing school district peace officers, |
|
|
private security officers, and school marshals; and |
|
|
(B) collaborating with local law enforcement |
|
|
agencies, such as entering into a memorandum of understanding for |
|
|
the assignment of school resource officers to schools in the |
|
|
district; |
|
|
(3) school safety and security measures [training and |
|
|
planning], including: |
|
|
(A) active shooter and emergency response |
|
|
training; |
|
|
(B) prevention and treatment programs relating |
|
|
to addressing adverse childhood experiences; and |
|
|
(C) the prevention, identification, and |
|
|
management of emergencies and threats, using evidence-based, |
|
|
effective prevention practices and including: |
|
|
(i) providing licensed counselors, social |
|
|
workers, and individuals trained in restorative discipline and |
|
|
restorative justice practices; |
|
|
(ii) providing mental health personnel and |
|
|
support; |
|
|
(iii) providing behavioral health |
|
|
services; |
|
|
(iv) establishing threat reporting |
|
|
systems; and |
|
|
(v) developing and implementing programs |
|
|
focused on restorative justice practices, culturally relevant |
|
|
instruction, and providing mental health support; [and] |
|
|
(4) providing programs related to suicide prevention, |
|
|
intervention, and postvention; and |
|
|
(5) employing a school safety director and other |
|
|
personnel to manage and monitor school safety initiatives and the |
|
|
implementation of school safety requirements for the district. |
|
|
(b-1) The agency may designate certain technologies that a |
|
|
school district, in using funds allocated under this section, may |
|
|
purchase only from a vendor approved by the agency. |
|
|
(b-2) If the agency, in coordination with the Texas School |
|
|
Safety Center, determines that entering into a statewide contract |
|
|
with a vendor for the provision of a technology designated under |
|
|
Subsection (b-1) would result in cost savings to school districts, |
|
|
the agency may, after receiving approval from the Legislative |
|
|
Budget Board and office of the governor, enter into a contract with |
|
|
a vendor to provide the technology to each district that uses funds |
|
|
allocated under this section to purchase that technology. |
|
|
(c-1) The agency, or if designated by the agency, the Texas |
|
|
School Safety Center, shall establish and publish a directory of |
|
|
approved vendors of school safety technology and equipment a school |
|
|
district may select from when using funds allocated under this |
|
|
section. If a school district uses funds allocated under this |
|
|
section to purchase technology or equipment from a vendor that is |
|
|
not included in the directory, the district must solicit bids from |
|
|
at least three vendors before completing the purchase. |
|
|
(e) Notwithstanding any other law, a school district may use |
|
|
funds allocated under this section to provide training to a person |
|
|
authorized by the district to carry a firearm on a district campus. |
|
|
SECTION 24. Subchapter Z, Chapter 411, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 411.951 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.951. CONFIDENTIALITY OF IWATCHTEXAS COMMUNITY |
|
|
REPORTING SYSTEM REPORTS. All suspicious activity reports and |
|
|
school safety reports included in the iWatchTexas community |
|
|
reporting system operated by the department are confidential and |
|
|
not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552. |
|
|
SECTION 25. Subchapter B, Chapter 85, Local Government |
|
|
Code, is amended by adding Section 85.024 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 85.024. SCHOOL SAFETY MEETINGS. (a) The sheriff of a |
|
|
county with a total population of less than 350,000 in which a |
|
|
public school is located shall call and conduct semiannual meetings |
|
|
to discuss: |
|
|
(1) school safety; |
|
|
(2) coordinated law enforcement response to school |
|
|
violence incidents; |
|
|
(3) law enforcement agency capabilities; |
|
|
(4) available resources; |
|
|
(5) emergency radio interoperability; |
|
|
(6) chain of command planning; and |
|
|
(7) other related subjects proposed by a person in |
|
|
attendance at the meeting. |
|
|
(b) The sheriff of a county to which this section applies in |
|
|
which more than one public school is located is only required to |
|
|
hold one semiannual meeting described by Subsection (a). This |
|
|
subsection does not require public schools located within the same |
|
|
county to adopt the same school safety policies. |
|
|
(c) The following persons shall attend a meeting called |
|
|
under Subsection (a): |
|
|
(1) the sheriff or the sheriff's designee; |
|
|
(2) the police chief of a municipal police department |
|
|
in the county or the police chief's designee; |
|
|
(3) each elected constable in the county or the |
|
|
constable's designees; |
|
|
(4) each police chief of a school district's police |
|
|
department or school district security coordinator from each school |
|
|
district located in the county; |
|
|
(5) a representative of the Department of Public |
|
|
Safety assigned to the county; |
|
|
(6) a representative of each other state agency with |
|
|
commissioned peace officers assigned to the county; |
|
|
(7) a person appointed to a command staff position at |
|
|
an emergency medical service in the county; |
|
|
(8) a person appointed to a command staff position at a |
|
|
municipal emergency medical service in the county; |
|
|
(9) a person appointed to a command staff position at a |
|
|
fire department in the county; |
|
|
(10) the superintendent or the superintendent's |
|
|
designee of each school district located in the county; |
|
|
(11) the person who serves the function of |
|
|
superintendent, or that person's designee, in each open-enrollment |
|
|
charter school located in the county; and |
|
|
(12) any other person the sheriff considers |
|
|
appropriate. |
|
|
(d) The sheriff shall invite any federal law enforcement |
|
|
official serving in the county to attend the meeting. |
|
|
(e) As soon as practicable after a meeting under Subsection |
|
|
(a), the sheriff shall submit a report to the Texas School Safety |
|
|
Center identifying the attendees of the meeting and the subjects |
|
|
discussed. The Texas School Safety Center shall maintain the report |
|
|
and make it publicly available on the center's Internet website. |
|
|
The center may not make publicly available and shall redact any |
|
|
parts of a report that the center determines may expose a safety |
|
|
vulnerability of a school district facility. |
|
|
SECTION 26. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective |
|
|
date of this Act, the Texas Education Agency shall establish the |
|
|
office of school safety and security and the governor shall appoint |
|
|
the director of that office as required by Section 37.1083, |
|
|
Education Code, as added by this Act. |
|
|
(b) As soon as practicable after the office of school safety |
|
|
and security has been established, the office shall establish |
|
|
school safety review teams in each region served by a regional |
|
|
education service center as required by Section 37.1084, Education |
|
|
Code, as added by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 27. Section 45.1011, Education Code, as added by |
|
|
this Act, applies only to a bond authorized to be issued at an |
|
|
election held on or after the effective date of this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 28. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails |
|
|
over another Act of the 88th Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, |
|
|
relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted |
|
|
codes. |
|
|
SECTION 29. (a) Section 7.028 and Chapter 37, Education |
|
|
Code, as amended by this Act, apply beginning with the 2023-2024 |
|
|
school year. |
|
|
(b) Notwithstanding Section 22.904, Education Code, as |
|
|
added by this Act, a school district must require the district's |
|
|
employees to complete the mental health training required under |
|
|
that section as follows: |
|
|
(1) at least 25 percent of the applicable district |
|
|
employees before the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year; |
|
|
(2) at least 50 percent of the applicable district |
|
|
employees before the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year; |
|
|
(3) at least 75 percent of the applicable district |
|
|
employees before the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year; and |
|
|
(4) 100 percent of the applicable district employees |
|
|
before the beginning of the 2028-2029 school year. |
|
|
SECTION 30. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of |
|
|
this section, this Act takes effect immediately if it receives a |
|
|
vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
|
|
(b) Section 48.115, Education Code, as amended by this Act, |
|
|
takes effect September 1, 2023. |
| |
| |
| |
______________________________ |
______________________________ |
| |
President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
| |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.B. No. 3 was passed by the House on April 25, |
|
|
2023, by the following vote: Yeas 119, Nays 25, 1 present, not |
|
|
voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to |
|
|
H.B. No. 3 on May 23, 2023, and requested the appointment of a |
|
|
conference committee to consider the differences between the two |
|
|
houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report |
|
|
on H.B. No. 3 on May 28, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 93, Nays |
|
|
49, 1 present, not voting. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.B. No. 3 was passed by the Senate, with |
|
|
amendments, on May 21, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays |
|
|
0; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference |
|
|
committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and |
|
|
that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No. |
|
|
3 on May 28, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 26, Nays 5. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Secretary of the Senate |
|
|
APPROVED: __________________ |
|
|
Date |
|
|
|
|
|
__________________ |
|
|
Governor |