By Serna                                        H.B. No. 1189

      75R2064 CAS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to a violence prevention program for public schools.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Chapter 29, Education Code, is amended by adding

 1-5     Subchapter J to read as follows:

 1-6                 SUBCHAPTER J.  VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM

 1-7           Sec. 29.351.  DEVELOPMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM.  (a)  The

 1-8     agency, the Texas Department of Human Services, and the attorney

 1-9     general, in consultation with a statewide domestic advocacy

1-10     organization, violence prevention professionals, and

1-11     community-based violence prevention organizations, shall develop a

1-12     comprehensive violence prevention program for public schools.

1-13           (b)  In developing the program, existing violence prevention

1-14     programs and instructional materials from this state, other states,

1-15     and other countries shall be studied and may be adopted.

1-16           Sec. 29.352.  PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.  The program under this

1-17     subchapter must:

1-18                 (1)  include a curriculum that:

1-19                       (A)  is appropriate for each grade level

1-20     beginning with kindergarten and continuing through the 12th grade;

1-21                       (B)  can be integrated into appropriate subjects

1-22     of the required curriculum under Section 28.002;

1-23                       (C)  addresses prevention of all types of

1-24     violence, including domestic violence, gang violence, and sexual

 2-1     assault, and related issues that may arise in teenage dating

 2-2     situations;

 2-3                       (D)  strongly presents the message that the use

 2-4     of violence is wrong and violates the law;

 2-5                       (E)  offers methods of preventing violence and of

 2-6     dealing with unavoidable violence once the violence has occurred

 2-7     and training in conflict resolution; and

 2-8                       (F)  provides information regarding community

 2-9     resources; and

2-10                 (2)  provide ongoing training for educators in

2-11     presenting the curriculum and in counseling students concerning

2-12     preventing and dealing with violence.

2-13           Sec. 29.353.  PROGRAM AVAILABILITY.  The agency shall provide

2-14     to each school district notice of the availability of the program

2-15     developed under this subchapter and shall make the program

2-16     available to each school district free of charge.

2-17           SECTION 2.  A comprehensive violence prevention program shall

2-18     be developed and school districts shall be notified of the

2-19     availability of the program as required under Subchapter J, Chapter

2-20     29, Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than August 1,

2-21     1998.

2-22           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-25     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-26     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-27     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 3-1     passage, and it is so enacted.