By: Van de Putte S.B. No. 1525
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to disruption of the conduct of a public school class or
1-3 other public school activity; providing a penalty.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 37.124, Education Code, is amended to
1-6 read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 37.124. DISRUPTION OF CLASSES. (a) A person commits
1-8 an offense if the person, on school property or on public property
1-9 within 500 feet of school property, alone or in concert with
1-10 others, intentionally disrupts the conduct of a class [classes] or
1-11 other school activity [activities].
1-12 (b) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor
1-13 unless it is shown on the trial of the offense that the person has
1-14 previously been convicted under this section, in which case the
1-15 offense is a Class B misdemeanor.
1-16 (c) In this section:
1-17 (1) "Disrupting the conduct of a class [classes] or
1-18 other school activity [activities]" includes:
1-19 (A) emitting noise of an intensity that prevents
1-20 or hinders the conduct of the class or other school activity
1-21 [classroom instruction];
1-22 (B) enticing or attempting to entice a student
1-23 away from a class or other school activity that the student is
1-24 required to attend;
1-25 (C) preventing or attempting to prevent a
2-1 student from attending a class or other school activity that the
2-2 student is required to attend; [and]
2-3 (D) entering a classroom or other school
2-4 property without the consent of either the principal or the teacher
2-5 and, through either acts of misconduct or the use of loud or
2-6 profane language, disrupting a class or other school activity; and
2-7 (E) preventing or hindering entry to or
2-8 departure from school property during the period beginning two
2-9 hours before the beginning of classes for the school day and ending
2-10 two hours after the conclusion of classes for the school day,
2-11 except that this paragraph does not prevent the legitimate exercise
2-12 of the rights of free speech or assembly guaranteed under the
2-13 constitutions of this state and the United States [activities].
2-14 (2) "Public property" includes a street, highway,
2-15 alley, public park, or sidewalk.
2-16 (3) "School activity" includes a school-sponsored
2-17 activity held before or after the school day.
2-18 (4) "School property" includes a public school campus
2-19 or school grounds on which a public school is located and any
2-20 grounds or buildings used by a school for an assembly or other
2-21 school-sponsored activity.
2-22 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies
2-23 only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
2-24 Act. For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before
2-25 the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
2-26 before that date.
3-1 (b) An offense committed before the effective date of this
3-2 Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
3-3 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
3-4 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.