Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB475 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R2038 CMO-F
2	2	By: Middleton S.B. No. 475
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to a public school classroom safety review and referral
10	10	program for students who engage in violent criminal conduct;
11	11	creating a criminal offense.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 37, Education Code, is
14	14	amended by adding Section 37.090 to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 37.090. CLASSROOM SAFETY REVIEW AND REFERRAL PROGRAM.
16	16	(a) If, after an investigation is completed, the principal of a
17	17	public primary or secondary school has reasonable grounds to
18	18	believe that a student engaged in violent criminal conduct,
19	19	including assaultive conduct, the principal shall:
20	20	(1) refer the student to the classroom safety review
21	21	committee established under Subsection (b); or
22	22	(2) make a report to any school district police
23	23	department, if applicable, or the police department of the
24	24	municipality in which the school is located or, if the school is not
25	25	in a municipality, the sheriff of the county in which the school is
26	26	located.
27	27	(b) Before the beginning of each school year, a public
28	28	primary or secondary school shall establish a classroom safety
29	29	review committee that consists of five classroom teachers who are
30	30	selected from all classroom teachers employed by the school through
31	31	a nomination and election process, as determined by the school.
32	32	(c) If a student is referred to the classroom safety review
33	33	committee under Subsection (a)(1), the committee shall review all
34	34	electronic, written, and verbal evidence or testimony or video
35	35	provided to the committee and interview any eyewitnesses. After
36	36	review, the committee shall, by majority vote, refer the student
37	37	to:
38	38	(1) a person designated by the school as the juvenile
39	39	diversion administrator under Subsection (d); or
40	40	(2) the classroom safety referral board established
41	41	under Subsection (e).
42	42	(d) A public primary or secondary school shall designate a
43	43	person as the juvenile diversion administrator for the school. If
44	44	the classroom safety review committee refers a student to the
45	45	juvenile diversion administrator under Subsection (c)(1), the
46	46	juvenile diversion administrator shall:
47	47	(1) require the student to perform a certain number of
48	48	hours of community service;
49	49	(2) require the student to participate in tutoring; or
50	50	(3) make a determination that the student is not
51	51	required to take any additional actions.
52	52	(e) A public primary or secondary school shall establish a
53	53	classroom safety referral board that consists of:
54	54	(1) two teachers who serve on the classroom safety
55	55	review committee;
56	56	(2) an assistant district attorney of the county in
57	57	which the school is located;
58	58	(3) an investigator from the sheriff's office in the
59	59	county in which the school is located; and
60	60	(4) a parent of a student enrolled at the school
61	61	selected by the board of trustees of the school district.
62	62	(f) If the classroom safety review committee refers a
63	63	student to the classroom safety referral board, the board shall
64	64	review all electronic, written, and verbal evidence or testimony or
65	65	video provided to the board and may hear new testimony from the
66	66	student or an eyewitness of the conduct. After review, the board, by
67	67	majority vote, shall:
68	68	(1) report the student's conduct to the local law
69	69	enforcement agency; or
70	70	(2) refer the student to the juvenile diversion
71	71	administrator under Subsection (d).
72	72	(g) Materials and information provided to or produced by the
73	73	classroom safety review committee or the classroom safety referral
74	74	board during a student review under this section must be maintained
75	75	in the student's school record until the student's 24th birthday.
76	76	(h) A person commits an offense if the person destroys
77	77	material or information described by Subsection (g) before the
78	78	period of maintenance required under that subsection has expired.
79	79	An offense under this subsection is a Class A misdemeanor.
80	80	(i) If an educator commits an offense under Subsection (h),
81	81	the educator may be subject to termination or suspension of the
82	82	educator's contract.
83	83	(j) Any testimony provided by an educator to the classroom
84	84	safety review committee or the classroom safety referral board
85	85	under this section is confidential and may not be disclosed to any
86	86	other person.
87	87	SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026
88	88	school year.
89	89	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
90	90	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
91	91	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
92	92	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
93	93	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.