| 1 | 1 | | 87R9622 JES-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Powell S.B. No. 1683 |
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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 the use of the school safety allotment for a school |
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| 8 | 8 | | district's disaster or pandemic preparation and response. |
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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. Section 42.168, Education Code, as added by |
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| 11 | 11 | | Chapter 464 (S.B. 11), Acts of the 86th Legislature, Regular |
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| 12 | 12 | | Session, 2019, is transferred to Subchapter C, Chapter 48, |
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| 13 | 13 | | Education Code, redesignated as Section 48.115, Education Code, and |
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| 14 | 14 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 48.115 [42.168]. SCHOOL SAFETY ALLOTMENT. (a) From |
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| 16 | 16 | | funds appropriated for that purpose, the commissioner shall provide |
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| 17 | 17 | | to a school district an annual allotment of $18, or a greater [in |
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| 18 | 18 | | the] amount provided by appropriation, for each student in average |
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| 19 | 19 | | daily attendance. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) Funds allocated under this section must be used to |
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| 21 | 21 | | improve school safety and security, including costs associated |
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| 22 | 22 | | with: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) securing school facilities, including: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (A) improvements to school infrastructure; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (B) the use or installation of physical barriers; |
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| 26 | 26 | | and |
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| 27 | 27 | | (C) the purchase and maintenance of: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (i) security cameras or other security |
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| 29 | 29 | | equipment; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | (ii) technology, including communications |
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| 31 | 31 | | systems or devices, that facilitates communication and information |
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| 32 | 32 | | sharing between students, school personnel, and first responders in |
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| 33 | 33 | | an emergency; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) providing security for the district, including: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (A) employing school district peace officers, |
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| 36 | 36 | | private security officers, and school marshals; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (B) collaborating with local law enforcement |
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| 38 | 38 | | agencies, such as entering into a memorandum of understanding for |
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| 39 | 39 | | the assignment of school resource officers to schools in the |
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| 40 | 40 | | district; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (3) school safety and security training and planning, |
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| 42 | 42 | | including: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (A) active shooter and emergency response |
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| 44 | 44 | | training; |
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| 45 | 45 | | (B) prevention and treatment programs relating |
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| 46 | 46 | | to addressing adverse childhood experiences; and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (C) the prevention, identification, and |
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| 48 | 48 | | management of emergencies and threats, including: |
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| 49 | 49 | | (i) providing mental health personnel and |
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| 50 | 50 | | support; |
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| 51 | 51 | | (ii) providing behavioral health services; |
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| 52 | 52 | | and |
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| 53 | 53 | | (iii) establishing threat reporting |
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| 54 | 54 | | systems; [and] |
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| 55 | 55 | | (4) providing programs related to suicide prevention, |
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| 56 | 56 | | intervention, and postvention; and |
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| 57 | 57 | | (5) disaster and pandemic preparation and response, |
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| 58 | 58 | | including purchasing any item recommended for disaster or pandemic |
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| 59 | 59 | | preparation or response by the Centers for Disease Control and |
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| 60 | 60 | | Prevention or a local health authority. |
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| 61 | 61 | | (c) A school district may use funds allocated under this |
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| 62 | 62 | | section for equipment or software that is used for a school safety |
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| 63 | 63 | | and security purpose and an instructional purpose, provided that |
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| 64 | 64 | | the instructional use does not compromise the safety and security |
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| 65 | 65 | | purpose of the equipment or software. |
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| 66 | 66 | | (d) The commissioner may accept gifts, grants, and |
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| 67 | 67 | | donations from any public or private source and shall seek to obtain |
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| 68 | 68 | | all available federal money to assist in providing the allotment |
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| 69 | 69 | | under this section [A school district that is required to take |
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| 70 | 70 | | action under Chapter 41 to reduce its wealth per student to the |
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| 71 | 71 | | equalized wealth level is entitled to a credit, in the amount of the |
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| 72 | 72 | | allotments to which the district is to receive as provided by |
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| 73 | 73 | | appropriation, against the total amount required under Section |
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| 74 | 74 | | 41.093 for the district to purchase attendance credits. |
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| 75 | 75 | | [(e) The commissioner may adopt rules to implement this |
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| 76 | 76 | | section]. |
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| 77 | 77 | | SECTION 2. Section 37.108(b-1), Education Code, is amended |
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| 78 | 78 | | to read as follows: |
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| 79 | 79 | | (b-1) In a school district's safety and security audit |
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| 80 | 80 | | required under Subsection (b), the district must certify that the |
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| 81 | 81 | | district used the funds provided to the district through the school |
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| 82 | 82 | | safety allotment under Section 48.115 [42.168] only for the |
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| 83 | 83 | | purposes provided by that section. |
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| 84 | 84 | | SECTION 3. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails |
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| 85 | 85 | | over another Act of the 87th Legislature, Regular Session, 2021, |
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| 86 | 86 | | relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted |
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| 87 | 87 | | codes. |
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| 88 | 88 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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