Texas 2021 87th 3rd C.S.

Texas House Bill HB111 Introduced / Bill

Filed 09/24/2021

                    87S30266 MLH-D
 By: Hull H.B. No. 111


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to prohibiting the physical restraint of or use of
 chemical irritants on certain public school students by peace
 officers and school security personnel under certain
 circumstances.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 37.0021, Education Code, is amended by
 amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (j) to read as
 follows:
 (d)  Subject to Subsection (j), the [The] commissioner by
 rule shall adopt procedures for the use of restraint and time-out by
 a school district employee or volunteer or an independent
 contractor of a district in the case of a student with a disability
 receiving special education services under Subchapter A, Chapter
 29. A procedure adopted under this subsection must:
 (1)  be consistent with:
 (A)  professionally accepted practices and
 standards of student discipline and techniques for behavior
 management; and
 (B)  relevant health and safety standards;
 (2)  identify any discipline management practice or
 behavior management technique that requires a district employee or
 volunteer or an independent contractor of a district to be trained
 before using that practice or technique; and
 (3)  require a school district to:
 (A)  provide written notification to the
 student's parent or person standing in parental relation to the
 student for each use of restraint that includes:
 (i)  the name of the student;
 (ii)  the name of the district employee or
 volunteer or independent contractor of the district who
 administered the restraint;
 (iii)  the date of the restraint;
 (iv)  the time that the restraint started
 and ended;
 (v)  the location of the restraint;
 (vi)  the nature of the restraint;
 (vii)  a description of the activity in
 which the student was engaged immediately preceding the use of the
 restraint;
 (viii)  the behavior of the student that
 prompted the restraint;
 (ix)  any efforts made to de-escalate the
 situation and any alternatives to restraint that were attempted;
 (x)  if the student has a behavior
 improvement plan or a behavioral intervention plan, whether the
 plan may need to be revised as a result of the behavior that led to
 the restraint; and
 (xi)  if the student does not have a behavior
 improvement plan or a behavioral intervention plan, information on
 the procedure for the student's parent or person standing in
 parental relation to the student to request an admission, review,
 and dismissal committee meeting to discuss the possibility of
 conducting a functional behavioral assessment of the student and
 developing a plan for the student;
 (B)  include in a student's special education
 eligibility school records:
 (i)  a copy of the written notification
 provided to the student's parent or person standing in parental
 relation to the student under Paragraph (A);
 (ii)  information on the method by which the
 written notification was sent to the parent or person; and
 (iii)  the contact information for the
 parent or person to whom the district sent the notification; and
 (C)  if the student has a behavior improvement
 plan or behavioral intervention plan, document each use of time-out
 prompted by a behavior of the student specified in the student's
 plan, including a description of the behavior that prompted the
 time-out.
 (j)  A peace officer performing law enforcement duties or
 school security personnel performing security-related duties on
 school property or at a school-sponsored or school-related activity
 may not restrain or use a chemical irritant spray on a student 10
 years of age or younger unless the student poses a serious risk of
 harm to the student or another person.
 SECTION 2.  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 on the 91st day after the last day of the
 legislative session.