| 1 | 1 | | 87R1790 MEW-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Thierry H.B. No. 2527 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a highly contagious communicable disease health and |
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| 8 | 8 | | safety plan prepared by a school district. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 38.044 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 38.044. HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS COMMUNICABLE DISEASE HEALTH |
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| 13 | 13 | | AND SAFETY PLAN. (a) In this section: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Communicable disease" has the meaning assigned by |
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| 15 | 15 | | Section 81.003, Health and Safety Code. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) "Highly contagious communicable disease" means a |
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| 17 | 17 | | communicable disease that creates a substantial risk of public |
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| 18 | 18 | | exposure because of the disease's high level of contagion or the |
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| 19 | 19 | | method by which the disease is transmitted. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) Each school district shall prepare and maintain a health |
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| 21 | 21 | | and safety plan for preventing the spread of a highly contagious |
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| 22 | 22 | | communicable disease at school district campuses. The health and |
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| 23 | 23 | | safety plan must include provisions for, if appropriate to prevent |
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| 24 | 24 | | the spread of the disease: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (1) providing hand washing schedules for students and |
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| 26 | 26 | | school personnel; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) requiring temperature checks for students and |
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| 28 | 28 | | school personnel; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (3) requiring classrooms to be arranged to provide for |
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| 30 | 30 | | physical separation between students' desks based on social |
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| 31 | 31 | | distancing recommendations by local health officials; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (4) including sanitation protocols for campus |
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| 33 | 33 | | facilities; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (5) maintaining an inventory of personal protection |
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| 35 | 35 | | equipment and cleaning supplies; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (6) notifying students, parents, and school personnel |
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| 37 | 37 | | if a member of the school community receives a positive test result |
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| 38 | 38 | | for a highly contagious communicable disease; |
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| 39 | 39 | | (7) including protocols for handling a positive test |
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| 40 | 40 | | result among members of the school community; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (8) including a list of community and school health |
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| 42 | 42 | | centers and resources available to members of the school community. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (c) Not later than the beginning of each school year, each |
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| 44 | 44 | | school district shall: |
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| 45 | 45 | | (1) review and, if necessary, revise the health and |
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| 46 | 46 | | safety plan prepared under Subsection (b); and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (2) submit the district's health and safety plan to the |
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| 48 | 48 | | agency. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 50 | 50 | | of this Act but not later than the beginning of the 2021-2022 school |
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| 51 | 51 | | year, each school district shall prepare a highly contagious |
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| 52 | 52 | | communicable disease health and safety plan and submit the |
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| 53 | 53 | | district's plan to the Texas Education Agency as required by |
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| 54 | 54 | | Section 38.044, Education Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 56 | 56 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 57 | 57 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 58 | 58 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 59 | 59 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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