By: Taylor, et al. S.B. No. 11
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to policies, procedures, and measures for school safety
and mental health promotion in public schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 7, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 7.061 to read as follows:
Sec. 7.061. FACILITIES STANDARDS. (a) In this section,
"instructional facility" has the meaning assigned by Section
46.001.
(b) The commissioner shall adopt or amend rules as necessary
to ensure that building standards for instructional facilities and
other school district and open-enrollment charter 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
building standards for school district and open-enrollment charter
school facilities continue to provide a secure and safe
environment.
SECTION 2. 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 required under
Section 38.036.
SECTION 3. Section 12.104(b), Education Code, as amended by
Chapters 324 (S.B. 1488), 522 (S.B. 179), and 735 (S.B. 1153), Acts
of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017, 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; and
(2) 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;
(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) public school accountability under
Subchapters B, C, D, F, G, and J, Chapter 39, and Chapter 39A;
(M) the requirement under Section 21.006 to
report an educator's misconduct;
(N) intensive programs of instruction under
Section 28.0213;
(O) the right of a school employee to report a
crime, as provided by Section 37.148; [and]
(P) bullying prevention policies and procedures
under Section 37.0832;
(Q) 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;
[and]
(R) the right under Section 37.0151 to report to
local law enforcement certain conduct constituting assault or
harassment;
(S) [(P)] 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); and
(T) school safety requirements under Sections
37.108, 37.1081, 37.1082, 37.109, 37.113, 37.114, 37.115, 37.207,
and 37.2071.
SECTION 4. 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:
(1) comply with the training required by Section
38.036(c)(1); and
(2) be approved by the commissioner.
SECTION 5. Section 25.081(a), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) Except as authorized under Subsection (b) of this
section, Section 25.0815, Section 25.084, or Section 29.0821, for
each school year each school district must operate for at least
75,600 minutes, including time allocated for instruction,
intermissions, and recesses for students.
SECTION 6. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 25.0815 to read as follows:
Sec. 25.0815. OPERATION AND INSTRUCTIONAL TIME WAIVERS FOR
SCHOOL SAFETY TRAINING. (a) The commissioner shall provide a
waiver allowing for fewer minutes of operation and instructional
time than required under Section 25.081(a) for a school district
that requires each educator employed by the district to attend an
approved school safety training course.
(b) A waiver under this section:
(1) must allow sufficient time for the school
district's educators to attend the school safety training course;
and
(2) may not:
(A) result in an inadequate number of minutes of
instructional time for students; or
(B) reduce the number of minutes of operation and
instructional time by more than 420 minutes.
(c) To be approved under this section, a school safety
training course must apply to the Texas School Safety Center. The
Texas School Safety Center may approve a training course if the
course satisfies the training requirements as determined by the
center.
(d) The commissioner may adopt rules to implement this
section.
SECTION 7. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (z) to read as follows:
(z) The State Board of Education by rule shall require each
school district to incorporate instruction in digital citizenship
into the district's curriculum, including information regarding
the potential criminal consequences of cyberbullying. In this
subsection:
(1) "Cyberbullying" has the meaning assigned by
Section 37.0832.
(2) "Digital citizenship" means the standards of
appropriate, responsible, and healthy online behavior, including
the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act on all
forms of digital communication.
SECTION 8. Section 28.004(c), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) The local school health advisory council's duties
include recommending:
(1) the number of hours of instruction to be provided
in health education;
(2) policies, procedures, strategies, and curriculum
appropriate for specific grade levels designed to prevent obesity,
cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and mental health
concerns, including suicide, through coordination of:
(A) health education;
(B) physical education and physical activity;
(C) nutrition services;
(D) parental involvement;
(E) instruction to prevent the use of
e-cigarettes, as defined by Section 161.081, Health and Safety
Code, and tobacco;
(F) school health services;
(G) counseling and guidance services;
(H) a safe and healthy school environment; and
(I) school employee wellness;
(3) appropriate grade levels and methods of
instruction for human sexuality instruction;
(4) strategies for integrating the curriculum
components specified by Subdivision (2) with the following elements
in a coordinated school health program for the district:
(A) school health services;
(B) counseling and guidance services;
(C) a safe and healthy school environment; and
(D) school employee wellness; [and]
(5) if feasible, joint use agreements or strategies
for collaboration between the school district and community
organizations or agencies; and
(6) strategies to increase parental awareness
regarding:
(A) risky behaviors and early warning signs of
suicide risks and behavioral health concerns, including mental
health disorders and substance use disorders; and
(B) available community programs and services
that address risky behaviors, suicide risks, and behavioral health
concerns.
SECTION 9. Section 37.108, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (a), (b), and (c) and adding Subsection (f) 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 or commissioner of higher education, as applicable [in
conjunction with the governor's office of homeland security]. The
plan must provide for:
(1) [district employee] 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) [(3)] 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) [(4)] the implementation of a safety and security
audit as required by Subsection (b).
(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. To the extent possible, a
district shall follow safety and security audit procedures
developed by the Texas School Safety Center or a person included in
the registry established by the Texas School Safety Center under
Section 37.2091 [comparable public or private entity].
(c) A school district or public junior college district
shall report the results of the safety and security audit conducted
under Subsection (b) to the district's board of trustees and, in the
manner required by the Texas School Safety Center, to the Texas
School Safety Center. The report provided to the Texas School
Safety Center under this subsection must be signed by:
(1) for a school district, the district's board of
trustees and superintendent; or
(2) for a public junior college district, the
president of the junior college district.
(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
161.325, Health and Safety Code;
(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 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.
SECTION 10. Subchapter D, Chapter 37, Education Code, is
amended by adding Sections 37.1081 and 37.1082 to read as follows:
Sec. 37.1081. PUBLIC HEARING ON MULTIHAZARD EMERGENCY
OPERATIONS PLAN NONCOMPLIANCE. (a) If the board of trustees of a
school district receives notice of noncompliance under Section
37.207(e) or 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.
(b) The school district shall provide the information
required under Subsection (a)(3) in writing to each person in
attendance at the hearing.
(c) The board shall give members of the public a reasonable
opportunity to appear before the board and to speak on the issue of
the district's failure to submit or correct deficiencies in a
multihazard emergency operations plan or report the results of a
safety and security audit during a hearing held under this section.
(d) A school district required to hold a public hearing
under Subsection (a) shall provide written confirmation to the
Texas School Safety Center that the district held the hearing.
Sec. 37.1082. MULTIHAZARD EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN
NONCOMPLIANCE; APPOINTMENT OF CONSERVATOR OR BOARD OF MANAGERS.
(a) If the agency receives notice from the Texas School Safety
Center of a school district's failure to submit a multihazard
emergency operations plan, the commissioner may appoint a
conservator for the district under Chapter 39A. The conservator
may order the district to adopt, implement, and submit a
multihazard emergency operations plan.
(b) If a district fails to comply with a conservator's order
to adopt, implement, and submit a multihazard emergency operations
plan within the time frame imposed by the commissioner, the
commissioner may appoint a board of managers under Chapter 39A to
oversee the operations of the district.
(c) The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to
administer this section.
SECTION 11. Section 37.109, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (a-1), (c), and (d) and amending Subsection (b)
to read as follows:
(a-1) The committee, to the greatest extent practicable,
must include:
(1) one or more representatives of an office of
emergency management of a county or city in which the district is
located;
(2) one or more representatives of the local police
department or sheriff's office;
(3) one or more representatives of the district's
police department, if applicable;
(4) the president of the district's board of trustees;
(5) a member of the district's board of trustees other
than the president;
(6) the district's superintendent;
(7) one or more designees of the district's
superintendent, one of whom must be a classroom teacher in the
district;
(8) if the district partners with an open-enrollment
charter school to provide instruction to students, a member of the
open-enrollment charter school's governing body or a designee of
the governing body; and
(9) two parents or guardians of students enrolled in
the district.
(b) The committee shall:
(1) participate on behalf of the district in
developing and implementing emergency plans consistent with the
district multihazard emergency operations plan required by Section
37.108(a) to ensure that the plans reflect specific campus,
facility, or support services needs;
(2) periodically provide recommendations to the
district's board of trustees and district administrators regarding
updating the district multihazard emergency operations plan
required by Section 37.108(a) in accordance with best practices
identified by the agency, the Texas School Safety Center, or a
person included in the registry established by the Texas School
Safety Center under Section 37.2091;
(3) provide the district with any campus, facility, or
support services information required in connection with a safety
and security audit required by Section 37.108(b), a safety and
security audit report required by Section 37.108(c), or another
report required to be submitted by the district to the Texas School
Safety Center; [and]
(4) [(3)] review each report required to be submitted
by the district to the Texas School Safety Center to ensure that the
report contains accurate and complete information regarding each
campus, facility, or support service in accordance with criteria
established by the center; and
(5) consult with local law enforcement agencies on
methods to increase law enforcement presence near district
campuses.
(c) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, the
committee shall meet at least once during each academic semester
and at least once during the summer. A committee established by a
school district that operates schools on a year-round system or in
accordance with another alternative schedule shall meet at least
three times during each calendar year, with an interval of at least
two months between each meeting.
(d) The committee is subject to Chapter 551, Government
Code, and may meet in executive session as provided by that chapter.
Notice of a committee meeting must be posted in the same manner as
notice of a meeting of the district's board of trustees.
SECTION 12. Subchapter D, Chapter 37, Education Code, is
amended by adding Sections 37.113, 37.114, and 37.115 to read as
follows:
Sec. 37.113. NOTIFICATION REGARDING BOMB THREAT OR
TERRORISTIC THREAT. A school district that receives a bomb threat
or terroristic threat relating to a campus or other district
facility at which students are present shall provide notification
of the threat as soon as possible to the parent or guardian of or
other person standing in parental relation to each student who is
assigned to the campus or who regularly uses the facility, as
applicable.
Sec. 37.114. EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS; MANDATORY SCHOOL
DRILLS. The commissioner, in consultation with the Texas School
Safety Center and the state fire marshal, shall adopt rules:
(1) providing procedures for evacuating and securing
school property during an emergency; and
(2) designating the number of mandatory school drills
to be conducted each semester of the school year, not to exceed
eight drills, including designating the number of:
(A) evacuation fire exit drills; and
(B) lockdown, lockout, shelter-in-place, and
evacuation drills.
Sec. 37.115. THREAT ASSESSMENT AND SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE
SCHOOL PROGRAM AND TEAM. (a) In this section:
(1) "Harmful, threatening, or violent behavior"
includes behaviors, such as verbal threats, threats of self harm,
bullying, cyberbullying, fighting, the use or possession of a
weapon, sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence,
stalking, or assault, by a student that could result in:
(A) specific interventions, including mental
health or behavioral supports;
(B) in-school suspension;
(C) out-of-school suspension; or
(D) the student's expulsion or removal to a
disciplinary alternative education program or a juvenile justice
alternative education program.
(2) "Team" means a threat assessment and safe and
supportive school team established by the board of trustees of a
school district under this section.
(b) The agency, in coordination with the Texas School Safety
Center, shall adopt rules to establish a safe and supportive school
program. The rules shall incorporate research-based best practices
for school safety, including providing for:
(1) physical and psychological safety;
(2) a multiphase and multihazard approach to
prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery in a
crisis situation;
(3) a systemic and coordinated multitiered support
system that addresses school climate, the social and emotional
domain, and behavioral and mental health; and
(4) multidisciplinary and multiagency collaboration
to assess risks and threats in schools and provide appropriate
interventions, including rules for the establishment and operation
of teams.
(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 (j) regarding
the team's activities to the agency.
(d) The superintendent of the district shall ensure that the
members appointed to each team have expertise in counseling,
behavior management, mental health and substance use, classroom
instruction, special education, school administration, school
safety and security, emergency management, and law enforcement. A
team may serve more than one campus of a school district, provided
that each district campus is assigned a team.
(e) The superintendent of a school district may establish a
committee, or assign to an existing committee established by the
district, the duty to oversee the operations of teams established
for the district. A committee with oversight responsibility under
this subsection must include members with expertise in human
resources, education, special education, counseling, behavior
management, school administration, mental health and substance
use, school safety and security, emergency management, and law
enforcement.
(f) Each team shall:
(1) conduct a threat assessment that includes:
(A) assessing and reporting individuals who make
threats of violence or exhibit harmful, threatening, or violent
behavior in accordance with the policies and procedures adopted
under Subsection (c); and
(B) gathering and analyzing data to determine the
level of risk and appropriate intervention, including:
(i) referring a student for mental health
assessment; and
(ii) implementing an escalation procedure,
if appropriate based on the team's assessment, in accordance with
district policy;
(2) provide guidance to students and school employees
on recognizing harmful, threatening, or violent behavior that may
pose a threat to the community, school, or individual; and
(3) support the district in implementing the
district's multihazard emergency operations plan.
(g) On a determination that a student or other individual
poses a serious risk of violence to self or others, a team shall
immediately report the team's determination to the superintendent.
If the individual is a student, the superintendent shall
immediately attempt to inform the parent or person standing in
parental relation to the student. The requirements of this
subsection do not prevent an employee of the school from acting
immediately to prevent an imminent threat or respond to an
emergency.
(h) A team identifying a student at risk of suicide shall
act in accordance with the district's suicide prevention program.
If the student at risk of suicide also makes a threat of violence to
others, the team shall conduct a threat assessment in addition to
actions taken in accordance with the district's suicide prevention
program.
(i) A team identifying a student using or possessing
tobacco, drugs, or alcohol shall act in accordance with district
policies and procedures related to substance use prevention and
intervention.
(j) A team must report to the agency in accordance with
guidelines developed by the agency the following information
regarding the team's activities and other information for each
school district campus the team serves:
(1) the occupation of each person appointed to the
team;
(2) the number of threats and a description of the type
of the threats reported to the team;
(3) the outcome of each assessment made by the team,
including:
(A) any disciplinary action taken, including a
change in school placement;
(B) any action taken by law enforcement; or
(C) a referral to or change in counseling, mental
health, special education, or other services;
(4) the total number, disaggregated by student gender,
race, and status as receiving special education services, being at
risk of dropping out of school, being in foster care, experiencing
homelessness, being a dependent of military personnel, being
pregnant or a parent, having limited English proficiency, or being
a migratory child, of, in connection with an assessment or reported
threat by the team:
(A) citations issued for Class C misdemeanor
offenses;
(B) arrests;
(C) incidents of uses of restraint;
(D) changes in school placement, including
placement in a juvenile justice alternative education program or
disciplinary alternative education program;
(E) referrals to or changes in counseling, mental
health, special education, or other services;
(F) placements in in-school suspension or
out-of-school suspension and incidents of expulsion;
(G) unexcused absences of 15 or more days during
the school year; and
(H) referrals to juvenile court for truancy; and
(5) the number and percentage of school personnel
trained in:
(A) a best-practices program or research-based
practice under Section 161.325, Health and Safety Code, including
the number and percentage of school personnel trained in:
(i) suicide prevention; or
(ii) grief and trauma-informed practices;
(B) mental health or psychological first aid for
schools;
(C) training relating to the safe and supportive
school program established under Subsection (b); or
(D) any other program relating to safety
identified by the commissioner.
(k) The commissioner may adopt rules to implement this
section.
SECTION 13. Section 37.207, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (c), (d), and (e) to read as follows:
(c) In addition to a review of a district's multihazard
emergency operations plan under Section 37.2071, the center may
require a district to submit its plan for immediate review if the
district's audit results indicate that the district is not
complying with applicable standards.
(d) If a district fails to report the results of its audit as
required under Subsection (b), the center shall provide the
district with written notice that the district has failed to report
its audit results and must immediately report the results to the
center.
(e) If six months after the date of the initial notification
required by Subsection (d) the district has still not reported the
results of its audit to the center, the center shall notify the
agency and the district of the district's requirement to conduct a
public hearing under Section 37.1081. This subsection applies only
to a school district.
SECTION 14. Subchapter G, Chapter 37, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 37.2071 to read as follows:
Sec. 37.2071. DISTRICT MULTIHAZARD EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
PLAN REVIEW AND VERIFICATION. (a) The center shall establish a
random or need-based cycle for the center's review and verification
of school district and public junior college district multihazard
emergency operations plans adopted under Section 37.108. The cycle
must provide for each district's plan to be reviewed at regular
intervals as determined by the center.
(b) A school district or public junior college district
shall submit its multihazard emergency operations plan to the
center on request of the center and 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) 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, the center shall provide
the district with written notice stating that the district:
(1) has failed to submit a plan; and
(2) must submit a plan to the center for review and
verification.
(e) The center may approve a district multihazard emergency
operations plan that has deficiencies if the district submits a
revised plan that the center determines will correct the
deficiencies.
(f) If 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 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 (g) must state that the commissioner
is authorized to appoint a conservator under Section 37.1082.
(i) Any document or information collected, developed, or
produced during the review and verification of multihazard
emergency operations plans under this section is not subject to
disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code.
SECTION 15. Section 37.2091(d), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(d) The center shall verify the information provided by a
person under Subsection (c) to confirm [registry is intended to
serve only as an informational resource for school districts and
institutions of higher education. The inclusion of a person in the
registry is not an indication of] the person's qualifications and
[or] ability to provide school safety or security consulting
services before adding the person to the registry [or that the
center endorses the person's school safety or security consulting
services].
SECTION 16. Subchapter G, Chapter 37, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 37.220 to read as follows:
Sec. 37.220. MODEL THREAT ASSESSMENT TEAM POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES. (a) The center, in coordination with the agency,
shall develop model policies and procedures to assist school
districts in establishing and training threat assessment teams.
(b) The model policies and procedures developed under
Subsection (a) must include procedures, when appropriate, for:
(1) the referral of a student to a local mental health
authority or health care provider for evaluation or treatment;
(2) the referral of a student for a full individual and
initial evaluation for special education services under Section
29.004; and
(3) a student or school personnel to anonymously
report dangerous, violent, or unlawful activity that occurs or is
threatened to occur on school property or that relates to a student
or school personnel.
SECTION 17. 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 shall adopt and implement a policy requiring the
integration of trauma-informed practices in each school
environment. A district must include the policy in the district
improvement plan required under Section 11.252.
(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 grief.
(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 must be
provided:
(1) through a program selected from the list of
recommended best practice-based programs and research-based
practices established under Section 161.325, Health and Safety
Code;
(2) as part of any new employee orientation for all new
school district educators; and
(3) to existing school district educators on a
schedule adopted by the agency by rule that requires educators to be
trained at intervals necessary to keep educators informed of
developments in the field.
(d) For any training under Subsection (c), each school
district shall maintain records that include the name of each
district staff member who participated in the training.
(e) Each school district shall report annually to the Texas
Education Agency the following information for the district as a
whole and for each school campus:
(1) the number of teachers, principals, and counselors
employed by the district who have completed training under this
section; and
(2) the total number of teachers, principals, and
counselors employed by the district.
(f) If a school district determines that the district does
not have sufficient resources to provide the training required
under Subsection (c), the district may partner with a community
mental health organization to provide training that meets the
requirements of Subsection (c) at no cost to the district.
(g) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
administer this section.
SECTION 18. Section 45.001(a), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) The governing board of an independent school district,
including the city council or commission that has jurisdiction over
a municipally controlled independent school district, the
governing board of a rural high school district, and the
commissioners court of a county, on behalf of each common school
district under its jurisdiction, may:
(1) issue bonds for:
(A) the construction, acquisition, and equipment
of school buildings in the district;
(B) the acquisition of property or the
refinancing of property financed under a contract entered under
Subchapter A, Chapter 271, Local Government Code, regardless of
whether payment obligations under the contract are due in the
current year or a future year;
(C) the purchase of the necessary sites for
school buildings; [and]
(D) the purchase of new school buses;
(E) the retrofitting of school buses with
emergency, safety, or security equipment; and
(F) the purchase or retrofitting of vehicles to
be used for emergency, safety, or security purposes; and
(2) [may] levy, pledge, assess, and collect annual ad
valorem taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the
bonds as or before the principal and interest become due, subject to
Section 45.003.
SECTION 19. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter LL to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER LL. REPAYMENT OF CERTAIN SCHOOL COUNSELOR EDUCATION
LOANS
Sec. 61.9851. LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. The
board shall provide, in accordance with this subchapter and board
rules, assistance in the repayment of eligible student loans for
eligible school counselors who apply and qualify for the
assistance.
Sec. 61.9852. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive loan
repayment assistance under this subchapter, a school counselor
must:
(1) apply annually for the repayment assistance in a
manner prescribed by the board;
(2) be a United States citizen or permanent resident
alien;
(3) have earned at least a master's degree related to
counseling from any public or accredited private institution of
higher education;
(4) be:
(A) certified as a school counselor under
Subchapter B, Chapter 21; or
(B) licensed as a specialist in school psychology
under Section 501.260, Occupations Code; and
(5) have completed one, two, three, four, or five
years of consecutive employment by a school district or
open-enrollment charter school in this state:
(A) all or part of which is located in a federally
designated mental health care health professional shortage area; or
(B) at a school that receives federal funding
under Title I, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.).
Sec. 61.9853. LIMITATIONS. A school counselor may receive
loan repayment assistance under this subchapter for not more than
five years.
Sec. 61.9854. ELIGIBLE LOANS. (a) The board may provide
loan repayment assistance under this subchapter for the repayment
of any student loan for education at an institution of higher
education, a private or independent institution of higher
education, or a public or private out-of-state institution of
higher education accredited by a recognized accrediting agency,
including loans for undergraduate education, received by an
eligible person through any lender.
(b) The board may not provide repayment assistance for a
student loan that is in default at the time of the person's
application.
(c) In each state fiscal biennium, the board shall attempt
to allocate all funds appropriated to the board for the purpose of
providing loan repayment assistance under this subchapter.
Sec. 61.9855. REPAYMENT. (a) The board shall deliver any
repayment under this subchapter in a lump sum payable:
(1) to both the lender or other holder of the loan and
the school counselor; or
(2) directly to the lender or other holder of the loan
on the school counselor's behalf.
(b) A repayment under this subchapter may be applied to any
amount due in connection with the loan.
Sec. 61.9856. AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE. (a) A
school counselor may receive loan repayment assistance under this
subchapter for each year the school counselor establishes
eligibility for the assistance in an amount determined by applying
the following applicable percentage to the maximum total amount of
assistance allowed for the school counselor under Subsection (b):
(1) for the first year, 10 percent;
(2) for the second year, 15 percent;
(3) for the third year, 20 percent;
(4) for the fourth year, 25 percent; and
(5) for the fifth year, 30 percent.
(b) The total amount of repayment assistance received by a
school counselor under this subchapter may not exceed:
(1) $80,000, for assistance received by a school
counselor who holds a doctoral degree related to counseling; and
(2) $40,000, for assistance received by a school
counselor who holds a master's degree related to counseling.
(c) The total amount of loan repayment assistance provided
under this subchapter may not exceed the sum of:
(1) the total amount of gifts and grants accepted by
the board for the repayment assistance;
(2) legislative appropriations for the repayment
assistance; and
(3) other funds available to the board for the
repayment assistance.
(d) The board may adjust in an equitable manner the
distribution amounts that school counselors would otherwise
receive under Subsection (a) for a year as necessary to comply with
Subsection (c).
Sec. 61.9857. RULES; ADMINISTRATION. (a) The board shall
adopt rules necessary to administer this subchapter.
(b) The board shall distribute to each institution of higher
education or private or independent institution of higher education
and to any appropriate state agency and professional association
copies of the rules adopted under this section and other pertinent
information relating to this subchapter.
(c) The board shall administer the program under this
subchapter in a manner that maximizes any matching funds available
through other sources.
Sec. 61.9858. SOLICITATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDS. The
board may solicit and accept gifts and grants from any public or
private source for the purposes of this subchapter.
SECTION 20. Section 161.325(d), Health and Safety Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(d) A school district may develop practices and procedures
concerning each area listed in Subsection (a-1), including mental
health promotion and intervention, substance abuse prevention and
intervention, and suicide prevention, that:
(1) include a procedure for providing educational
material to all parents and families in the district that contains
information on identifying risk factors, accessing resources for
treatment or support provided on and off campus, and accessing
available student accommodations provided on campus;
(2) include a procedure for providing notice of a
recommendation for early mental health or substance abuse
intervention regarding a student to a parent or guardian of the
student within a reasonable amount of time after the identification
of early warning signs as described by Subsection (b)(2);
(3) [(2)] include a procedure for providing notice of
a student identified as at risk of committing suicide to a parent or
guardian of the student within a reasonable amount of time after the
identification of early warning signs as described by Subsection
(b)(2);
(4) [(3)] establish that the district may develop a
reporting mechanism and may designate at least one person to act as
a liaison officer in the district for the purposes of identifying
students in need of early mental health or substance abuse
intervention or suicide prevention; and
(5) [(4)] set out available counseling alternatives
for a parent or guardian to consider when their child is identified
as possibly being in need of early mental health or substance abuse
intervention or suicide prevention.
SECTION 21. From funds appropriated for that purpose, the
commissioner of education shall establish and administer a grant
program to award grants to local education agencies to improve and
maintain student and school safety.
SECTION 22. Not later than January 1, 2020:
(1) the Texas School Safety Center shall:
(A) develop a list of best practices for ensuring
the safety of public school students receiving instruction in
portable buildings; and
(B) provide information regarding the list of
best practices to school districts using portable buildings for
student instruction;
(2) the commissioner of education shall adopt or amend
rules as required by Section 7.061, Education Code, as added by this
Act; and
(3) the commissioner of education, in consultation
with the Texas School Safety Center and the state fire marshal,
shall adopt rules as required by Section 37.114, Education Code, as
added by this Act.
SECTION 23. Section 28.002(z), Education Code, as added by
this Act, applies beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.
SECTION 24. Section 28.004, Education Code, as amended by
this Act, applies beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.
SECTION 25. The Texas Education Agency and the Texas School
Safety Center are required to implement a provision of this Act only
if the legislature appropriates money specifically for that
purpose. If the legislature does not appropriate money
specifically for that purpose, the Texas Education Agency or the
Texas School Safety Center may, but is not required to, implement a
provision of this Act using other appropriations available for that
purpose.
SECTION 26. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails
over another Act of the 86th Legislature, Regular Session, 2019,
relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted
codes.
SECTION 27. 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.