Texas 2019 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3718 Introduced / Bill

Filed 03/07/2019

                    86R10433 MM-F
 By: Parker H.B. No. 3718


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to a trauma-informed care policy for school districts and
 open-enrollment charter schools and training regarding the policy
 for district and school employees.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 11.252(a), Education Code, is amended to
 read as follows:
 (a)  Each school district shall have a district improvement
 plan that is developed, evaluated, and revised annually, in
 accordance with district policy, by the superintendent with the
 assistance of the district-level committee established under
 Section 11.251.  The purpose of the district improvement plan is to
 guide district and campus staff in the improvement of student
 performance for all student groups in order to attain state
 standards in respect to the achievement indicators adopted under
 Section 39.053(c).  The district improvement plan must include
 provisions for:
 (1)  a comprehensive needs assessment addressing
 district student performance on the achievement indicators, and
 other appropriate measures of performance, that are disaggregated
 by all student groups served by the district, including categories
 of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, and populations served by
 special programs, including students in special education programs
 under Subchapter A, Chapter 29;
 (2)  measurable district performance objectives for
 all appropriate achievement indicators for all student
 populations, including students in special education programs
 under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, and other measures of student
 performance that may be identified through the comprehensive needs
 assessment;
 (3)  strategies for improvement of student performance
 that include:
 (A)  instructional methods for addressing the
 needs of student groups not achieving their full potential;
 (B)  methods for addressing the needs of students
 for special programs, including:
 (i)  suicide prevention programs, in
 accordance with Subchapter O-1, Chapter 161, Health and Safety
 Code, which includes a parental or guardian notification procedure;
 (ii)  conflict resolution programs;
 (iii)  violence prevention programs; and
 (iv)  dyslexia treatment programs;
 (C)  dropout reduction;
 (D)  integration of technology in instructional
 and administrative programs;
 (E)  discipline management;
 (F)  staff development for professional staff of
 the district;
 (G)  career education to assist students in
 developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for a
 broad range of career opportunities; and
 (H)  accelerated education;
 (4)  strategies for providing to middle school, junior
 high school, and high school students, those students' teachers and
 school counselors, and those students' parents information about:
 (A)  higher education admissions and financial
 aid opportunities;
 (B)  the TEXAS grant program and the Teach for
 Texas grant program established under Chapter 56;
 (C)  the need for students to make informed
 curriculum choices to be prepared for success beyond high school;
 and
 (D)  sources of information on higher education
 admissions and financial aid;
 (5)  resources needed to implement identified
 strategies;
 (6)  staff responsible for ensuring the accomplishment
 of each strategy;
 (7)  timelines for ongoing monitoring of the
 implementation of each improvement strategy;
 (8)  formative evaluation criteria for determining
 periodically whether strategies are resulting in intended
 improvement of student performance; [and]
 (9)  the policy under Section 38.0041 addressing sexual
 abuse and other maltreatment of children; and
 (10)  the trauma-informed care policy under Section
 38.036.
 SECTION 2.  Sections 21.054(d) and (d-2), Education Code,
 are amended to read as follows:
 (d)  Continuing education requirements for a classroom
 teacher must provide that not more than 25 percent of the training
 required every five years include instruction regarding:
 (1)  collecting and analyzing information that will
 improve effectiveness in the classroom;
 (2)  recognizing early warning indicators that a
 student may be at risk of dropping out of school;
 (3)  digital learning, digital teaching, and
 integrating technology into classroom instruction;
 (4)  educating diverse student populations, including:
 (A)  students with disabilities, including mental
 health disorders;
 (B)  students who are educationally
 disadvantaged;
 (C)  students of limited English proficiency; and
 (D)  students at risk of dropping out of school;
 [and]
 (5)  understanding appropriate relationships,
 boundaries, and communications between educators and students;
 and[.]
 (6)  [(d-2) Continuing education requirements for a
 classroom teacher may include instruction regarding] how grief and
 trauma affect student learning and behavior and how evidence-based,
 grief-informed, and trauma-informed strategies support the
 academic success of students affected by grief and trauma.
 (d-2)  The instruction required under Subsection (d)(6) must
 be:
 (1)  a training program that complies with Section
 38.036(c)(1)(A); and
 (2)  approved by the commissioner.
 SECTION 3.  Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is
 amended by adding Section 38.036 to read as follows:
 Sec. 38.036.  TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE POLICY.  (a)  Each school
 district and open-enrollment charter school shall adopt and
 implement a policy requiring the integration of trauma-informed
 practices in each school environment.
 (b)  A policy required by this section must address:
 (1)  using resources developed by the agency, methods
 for:
 (A)  increasing staff and parent awareness  of
 trauma-informed care; and
 (B)  implementation of trauma-informed practices
 and care by district and campus staff; and
 (2)  available counseling options for students
 affected by trauma or toxic stress.
 (c)  The methods under Subsection (b)(1) for increasing
 awareness and implementation of trauma-informed care must include
 training as provided by this subsection. The training:
 (1)  must be provided:
 (A)  through an evidence-based,
 evidence-informed, or promising practices training program that
 addresses the effects of trauma and is approved by the agency; and
 (B)  as part of any new employee orientation for
 all new school district and open-enrollment charter school
 educators or coaches; and
 (2)  may be provided to existing school district and
 open-enrollment charter school educators or coaches on a schedule
 recommended by commissioner rule.
 (d)  For any training provided under Subsection (c), each
 school district and open-enrollment charter school shall maintain
 records that include the name of each district or charter school
 staff member who participated in the training.
 (e)  If a school district or open-enrollment charter school
 determines that the district or charter school does not have
 sufficient resources to provide the training required under
 Subsection (c), the district or charter school shall make
 reasonable efforts to collaborate with a community organization to
 provide training that meets the requirements of Subsection (c) at
 no cost to the district or charter school.
 (f)  The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
 administer this section.
 SECTION 4.  This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020
 school year.
 SECTION 5.  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, 2019.