| 1 | 1 | | S.B. No. 1720 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to the confidentiality of the identity of a public school |
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| 6 | 6 | | employee who reports a potential threat to the school's threat |
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| 7 | 7 | | assessment and safe and supportive school team. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 37.115(c), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 10 | 10 | | read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (c) The board of trustees of each school district shall |
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| 12 | 12 | | establish a threat assessment and safe and supportive school team |
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| 13 | 13 | | to serve at each campus of the district and shall adopt policies and |
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| 14 | 14 | | procedures for the teams. The team is responsible for developing |
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| 15 | 15 | | and implementing the safe and supportive school program under |
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| 16 | 16 | | Subsection (b) at the district campus served by the team. The |
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| 17 | 17 | | policies and procedures adopted under this section must: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) be consistent with the model policies and |
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| 19 | 19 | | procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) require each team to complete training provided by |
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| 21 | 21 | | the Texas School Safety Center or a regional education service |
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| 22 | 22 | | center regarding evidence-based threat assessment programs; [and] |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) require each team established under this section |
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| 24 | 24 | | to report the information required under Subsection (k) regarding |
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| 25 | 25 | | the team's activities to the agency; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (4) provide for: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (A) a district employee who reports a potential |
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| 28 | 28 | | threat to a team to elect for the employee's identity to be |
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| 29 | 29 | | confidential and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, |
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| 30 | 30 | | Government Code, except as necessary for the team, the district, or |
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| 31 | 31 | | law enforcement to investigate the potential threat; and |
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| 32 | 32 | | (B) the district to maintain a record of the |
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| 33 | 33 | | identity of a district employee who elects for the employee's |
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| 34 | 34 | | identity to be confidential under Paragraph (A). |
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| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024 |
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| 36 | 36 | | school year. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 38 | 38 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 39 | 39 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 40 | 40 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 41 | 41 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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| 42 | 42 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 43 | 43 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 44 | 44 | | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1720 passed the Senate on |
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| 45 | 45 | | April 19, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0, one |
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| 46 | 46 | | present not voting. |
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| 47 | 47 | | ______________________________ |
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| 48 | 48 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 49 | 49 | | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1720 passed the House on |
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| 50 | 50 | | May 24, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 134, Nays 4, one |
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| 51 | 51 | | present not voting. |
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| 52 | 52 | | ______________________________ |
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| 53 | 53 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 54 | 54 | | Approved: |
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| 55 | 55 | | ______________________________ |
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| 56 | 56 | | Date |
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| 57 | 57 | | ______________________________ |
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| 58 | 58 | | Governor |
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