Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB936 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R2456 JTZ-D
2	2	By: Hall S.B. No. 936
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to authorizing the Texas School Safety Center to conduct
10	10	random safety and security audits of public schools; authorizing a
11	11	civil penalty.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 37, Education Code, is
14	14	amended by adding Section 37.2072 to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 37.2072. RANDOM SAFETY AND SECURITY AUDITS; CIVIL
16	16	PENALTY. (a) The center may conduct random safety and security
17	17	audits of school districts. An audit may include:
18	18	(1) an assessment of district and district facility
19	19	policies and procedures relating to safety and security;
20	20	(2) inspection of relevant records and documents;
21	21	(3) surveys or interviews of students, teachers,
22	22	staff, and parents;
23	23	(4) an intruder assessment that tests access controls
24	24	and visitor management procedures at each district facility; and
25	25	(5) a site visit to each district that includes a
26	26	walk-through and visual assessment of:
27	27	(A) the interior and exterior of each district
28	28	facility; and
29	29	(B) district school grounds.
30	30	(b) A school district shall grant center employees
31	31	reasonable access to district facilities and district school
32	32	grounds for purposes of conducting an audit under Subsection (a).
33	33	(c) A member of the board of trustees or superintendent of a
34	34	school district who obstructs an audit authorized under Subsection
35	35	(a) is liable to this state for a civil penalty in an amount of not
36	36	less than $50 or more than $500 for each violation. Each day of a
37	37	continuing violation is a separate violation.
38	38	(d) The attorney general may bring an action to recover a
39	39	civil penalty under Subsection (c) and may recover reasonable
40	40	expenses incurred in obtaining the civil penalty, including court
41	41	costs, attorney's fees, investigative costs, witness fees, and
42	42	deposition expenses.
43	43	(e) Official immunity of a member of the board of trustees
44	44	of a school district to suit is waived and abolished to the extent
45	45	of liability created by this section.
46	46	(f) Section 22.0511(a) does not apply to an action of a
47	47	superintendent of a school district to the extent of liability
48	48	created by this section.
49	49	SECTION 2. Section 12.104(b), Education Code, is amended to
50	50	read as follows:
51	51	(b) An open-enrollment charter school is subject to:
52	52	(1) a provision of this title establishing a criminal
53	53	offense;
54	54	(2) the provisions in Chapter 554, Government Code;
55	55	and
56	56	(3) a prohibition, restriction, or requirement, as
57	57	applicable, imposed by this title or a rule adopted under this
58	58	title, relating to:
59	59	(A) the Public Education Information Management
60	60	System (PEIMS) to the extent necessary to monitor compliance with
61	61	this subchapter as determined by the commissioner;
62	62	(B) criminal history records under Subchapter C,
63	63	Chapter 22;
64	64	(C) reading instruments and accelerated reading
65	65	instruction programs under Section 28.006;
66	66	(D) accelerated instruction under Section
67	67	28.0211;
68	68	(E) high school graduation requirements under
69	69	Section 28.025;
70	70	(F) special education programs under Subchapter
71	71	A, Chapter 29;
72	72	(G) bilingual education under Subchapter B,
73	73	Chapter 29;
74	74	(H) prekindergarten programs under Subchapter E
75	75	or E-1, Chapter 29, except class size limits for prekindergarten
76	76	classes imposed under Section 25.112, which do not apply;
77	77	(I) extracurricular activities under Section
78	78	33.081;
79	79	(J) discipline management practices or behavior
80	80	management techniques under Section 37.0021;
81	81	(K) health and safety under Chapter 38;
82	82	(L) the provisions of Subchapter A, Chapter 39;
83	83	(M) public school accountability and special
84	84	investigations under Subchapters A, B, C, D, F, G, and J, Chapter
85	85	39, and Chapter 39A;
86	86	(N) the requirement under Section 21.006 to
87	87	report an educator's misconduct;
88	88	(O) intensive programs of instruction under
89	89	Section 28.0213;
90	90	(P) the right of a school employee to report a
91	91	crime, as provided by Section 37.148;
92	92	(Q) bullying prevention policies and procedures
93	93	under Section 37.0832;
94	94	(R) the right of a school under Section 37.0052
95	95	to place a student who has engaged in certain bullying behavior in a
96	96	disciplinary alternative education program or to expel the student;
97	97	(S) the right under Section 37.0151 to report to
98	98	local law enforcement certain conduct constituting assault or
99	99	harassment;
100	100	(T) a parent's right to information regarding the
101	101	provision of assistance for learning difficulties to the parent's
102	102	child as provided by Sections 26.004(b)(11) and 26.0081(c) and (d);
103	103	(U) establishment of residency under Section
104	104	25.001;
105	105	(V) school safety requirements under Sections
106	106	37.0814, 37.108, 37.1081, 37.1082, 37.1083, 37.1084, 37.1085,
107	107	37.1086, 37.109, 37.113, 37.114, 37.1141, 37.115, 37.207, [and]
108	108	37.2071, and 37.2072 and Subchapter J, Chapter 37;
109	109	(W) the early childhood literacy and mathematics
110	110	proficiency plans under Section 11.185;
111	111	(X) the college, career, and military readiness
112	112	plans under Section 11.186; and
113	113	(Y) parental options to retain a student under
114	114	Section 28.02124.
115	115	SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026
116	116	school year.
117	117	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
118	118	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
119	119	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
120	120	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
121	121	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.