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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to policies, procedures, and measures for school safety in |
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public schools. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Sections 37.108(c-2) and (d), Education Code, |
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are amended to read as follows: |
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(c-2) A document relating to a school district's or public |
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junior college district's multihazard emergency operations plan is |
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subject to disclosure if the document enables a person to: |
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(1) verify that the district has established a plan |
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and determine the agencies involved in the development of the plan |
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and the agencies coordinating with the district to respond to an |
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emergency, including the Department of State Health Services, local |
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emergency services agencies, law enforcement agencies, health |
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departments, and fire departments; |
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(2) verify that the district's plan was reviewed |
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within the last 12 months and determine the specific review dates; |
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(3) verify that the plan addresses the five [four] |
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phases of emergency management under Subsection (a); |
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(4) verify that district employees have been trained |
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to respond to an emergency and determine the types of training, the |
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number of employees trained, and the person conducting the |
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training; |
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(5) verify that each campus in the district has |
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conducted mandatory emergency drills and exercises in accordance |
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with the plan and determine the frequency of the drills; |
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(6) if the district is a school district, verify that |
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the district has established a plan for responding to a train |
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derailment if required under Subsection (d); |
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(7) verify that the district has completed a safety |
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and security audit under Subsection (b) and determine the date the |
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audit was conducted, the person conducting the audit, and the date |
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the district presented the results of the audit to the district's |
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board of trustees; |
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(8) verify that the district has addressed any |
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recommendations by the district's board of trustees for improvement |
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of the plan and determine the district's progress within the last 12 |
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months; and |
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(9) if the district is a school district, verify that |
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the district has established a visitor policy and identify the |
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provisions governing access to a district building or other |
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district property. |
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(d) A school district shall include in its multihazard |
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emergency operations plan a policy for responding to a train |
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derailment near a district school. A school district is only |
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required to adopt the policy described by this subsection if a |
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[district] school district facility is located within 1,000 yards |
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of a railroad track, as measured from any point on the school's real |
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property boundary line. The school district may use any available |
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community resources in developing the policy described by this |
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subsection. |
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SECTION 2. Section 37.114, Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 37.114. EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS; MANDATORY SCHOOL |
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DRILLS. The commissioner, in consultation with the Texas School |
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Safety Center and the state fire marshal, shall adopt rules: |
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(1) providing procedures for evacuating and securing |
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school property during an emergency; and |
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(2) designating the number and type of mandatory |
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school drills to be conducted each semester of the school year, not |
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to exceed a total of eight drills[, including designating the |
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number of: |
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[(A) evacuation fire exit drills; and |
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[(B) lockdown, lockout, shelter-in-place, and |
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evacuation drills]. |
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SECTION 3. Section 37.115(d), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(d) The superintendent of the district shall ensure, to the |
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greatest extent practicable, that the members appointed to each |
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team have expertise in counseling, behavior management, mental |
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health and substance use, classroom instruction, special |
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education, school administration, school safety and security, |
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emergency management, and law enforcement. A team may serve more |
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than one campus of a school district, provided that each district |
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campus is assigned a team. |
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SECTION 4. Section 37.207(e), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(e) If three [six] months after the date of the initial |
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notification required by Subsection (d) the district has still not |
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reported the results of its audit to the center, the center shall |
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notify the agency and the district of the district's requirement to |
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conduct a public hearing under Section 37.1081. This subsection |
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applies only to a school district. |
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SECTION 5. Section 37.2121, Education Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (d-1) to read as |
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follows: |
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(d) Each school district that enters into a memorandum of |
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understanding or mutual aid agreement addressing issues that affect |
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school safety and security shall, at the center's request, provide |
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a copy of the memorandum or agreement [following information] to |
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the center[: |
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[(1) the name of each entity with which the school |
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district has entered into a memorandum of understanding or mutual |
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aid agreement; |
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[(2) the effective date of each memorandum or |
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agreement; and |
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[(3) a summary of each memorandum or agreement]. |
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(d-1) A copy of a memorandum of understanding or mutual aid |
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agreement provided to the center under Subsection (d) is |
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confidential and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, |
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Government Code. |
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SECTION 6. Subchapter F, Chapter 411, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 411.14055 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 411.14055. ACCESS TO CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD |
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INFORMATION: TEXAS SCHOOL SAFETY CENTER. The Texas School Safety |
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Center at Texas State University is entitled to obtain from the |
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department criminal history record information maintained by the |
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department that relates to a person who is registering with the |
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Texas School Safety Center to provide school safety or security |
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consulting services under Section 37.2091, Education Code. |
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SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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