| 1 | 1 | | 88R23579 JTZ-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hefner, Buckley, Burrows, H.B. No. 3614 |
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| 3 | 3 | | Harris of Anderson |
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| 4 | 4 | | Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3614: |
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| 5 | 5 | | By: Buckley C.S.H.B. No. 3614 |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 9 | 9 | | AN ACT |
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| 10 | 10 | | relating to allowing public schools to employ or accept as |
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| 11 | 11 | | volunteers chaplains. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle D, Title 2, Education Code, is amended |
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| 14 | 14 | | by adding Chapter 23 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | CHAPTER 23. SCHOOL CHAPLAINS |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 23.001. SCHOOL CHAPLAINS. A school district or an |
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| 17 | 17 | | open-enrollment charter school may employ or accept as a volunteer |
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| 18 | 18 | | a chaplain to provide support, services, and programs for students |
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| 19 | 19 | | as assigned by the board of trustees of the district or the |
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| 20 | 20 | | governing body of the school. A chaplain employed or volunteering |
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| 21 | 21 | | under this chapter is not required to be certified by the State |
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| 22 | 22 | | Board for Educator Certification. |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 2. Section 48.115(b), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 24 | 24 | | read as follows: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) Funds allocated under this section must be used to |
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| 26 | 26 | | improve school safety and security, including costs associated |
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| 27 | 27 | | with: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) securing school facilities, including: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (A) improvements to school infrastructure; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (B) the use or installation of physical barriers; |
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| 31 | 31 | | and |
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| 32 | 32 | | (C) the purchase and maintenance of: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (i) security cameras or other security |
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| 34 | 34 | | equipment; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (ii) technology, including communications |
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| 36 | 36 | | systems or devices, that facilitates communication and information |
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| 37 | 37 | | sharing between students, school personnel, and first responders in |
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| 38 | 38 | | an emergency; |
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| 39 | 39 | | (2) providing security for the district, including: |
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| 40 | 40 | | (A) employing school district peace officers, |
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| 41 | 41 | | private security officers, and school marshals; and |
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| 42 | 42 | | (B) collaborating with local law enforcement |
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| 43 | 43 | | agencies, such as entering into a memorandum of understanding for |
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| 44 | 44 | | the assignment of school resource officers to schools in the |
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| 45 | 45 | | district; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (3) school safety and security training and planning, |
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| 47 | 47 | | including: |
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| 48 | 48 | | (A) active shooter and emergency response |
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| 49 | 49 | | training; |
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| 50 | 50 | | (B) prevention and treatment programs relating |
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| 51 | 51 | | to addressing adverse childhood experiences; and |
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| 52 | 52 | | (C) the prevention, identification, and |
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| 53 | 53 | | management of emergencies and threats, using evidence-based, |
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| 54 | 54 | | effective prevention practices and including: |
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| 55 | 55 | | (i) providing licensed counselors, social |
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| 56 | 56 | | workers, chaplains, and individuals trained in restorative |
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| 57 | 57 | | discipline and restorative justice practices; |
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| 58 | 58 | | (ii) providing mental health personnel and |
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| 59 | 59 | | support, including chaplains; |
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| 60 | 60 | | (iii) providing behavioral health |
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| 61 | 61 | | services, including services provided by chaplains; |
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| 62 | 62 | | (iv) establishing threat reporting |
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| 63 | 63 | | systems; and |
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| 64 | 64 | | (v) developing and implementing programs |
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| 65 | 65 | | focused on restorative justice practices, culturally relevant |
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| 66 | 66 | | instruction, and providing mental health support, including |
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| 67 | 67 | | support provided by chaplains; and |
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| 68 | 68 | | (4) providing programs related to suicide prevention, |
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| 69 | 69 | | intervention, and postvention, including programs provided by |
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| 70 | 70 | | chaplains. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 3. Each board of trustees of a school district and |
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| 72 | 72 | | each governing body of an open-enrollment charter school shall take |
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| 73 | 73 | | a record vote not later than six months after the effective date of |
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| 74 | 74 | | this Act on whether to adopt a policy authorizing a campus of the |
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| 75 | 75 | | district or school to employ or accept as a volunteer a chaplain |
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| 76 | 76 | | under Chapter 23, Education Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 77 | 77 | | SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024 |
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| 78 | 78 | | school year. |
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| 79 | 79 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 80 | 80 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 81 | 81 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 82 | 82 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 83 | 83 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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