BILL ANALYSIS



H.B. 1687
By: Alonzo
04-24-95
Committee Report (Unamended)


BACKGROUND

     Under current law, instructional and support personnel do NOT
have to be notified of students who have committed crimes, even if
it is common knowledge to the superintendent and the principal. 
Also under current law, law enforcement officials must only orally
notify the superintendent or a representative of the superintendent
within 24 hours after the crime has been committed by the student. 
However, there is no assurance that the information will filter
down from the superintendent or the principal to the teachers and
instructional personnel - those in closest contact with the
students.  Teachers and support personnel feel that they must have
knowledge of this information in order to be able to maintain a
safe classroom, for school employees and students alike.

     Year after year, we hear and read in the daily media about
teachers and students being attacked by other students, and many of
the victims of these incidents are innocent bystanders. 
Unfortunately, the only times we read about such incidents in the
media is when a major crime has been committed, i.e., a teacher has
been attacked or shot, a student has been killed or gang raped by
a fellow student or students, or the school has been burned down by
a student.  In many cases, the attacker(s) had a previous record.

     Through this bill, teachers and support personnel must be
properly notified about such information by the superintendents and
principals so that they can take the necessary preventive and
cautionary measures to keep additional crimes from occurring. 
Further crimes, especially those that typically make the headline
news, can be reduced, if not totally eliminated, if teachers and
support personnel know about this information immediately after it
happens.  Hiding the information or keeping it away from teachers
or students, simply to "protect the school's image" is not a viable
solution.  Failure to properly and adequately notify teachers and
support personnel of such information is more costly, dangerous,
and detrimental to a school district and the community at large.

PURPOSE

     The purpose of this bill is to require superintendents and
school principals who are aware of students who have committed
crimes to inform instructional and support personnel who have
regular contact with these students.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly
grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer,
department, agency or institution.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Article 15.27(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, to
require superintendents who are aware of students who have been
detained or arrested for certain offenses to inform all personnel
who have regular contact with these students.

SECTION 2.  Effective beginning with the 1995-1996 school year.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.

SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION

H.B. 1687 was considered in a public hearing on 15 March 1995.

No one testified for, against or neutrally on the bill.

On 19 April 1995, in a public hearing, H.B. 1687 was reported
favorably without amendment with the recommendation that it do pass
and be printed by a record vote of 6 ayes, 0 nays, 0 pnv and 3
absent.