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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the establishment of the School Safety Advisory Council |
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and School Safety Certification Program. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Article 418, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Section 418.0426 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 418.0426. SCHOOL SAFETY ADVISORY COUNCIL. (a) The |
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Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, or a designee |
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of the Chief, the Director of the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid |
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Response Training Center, or a designee of the Director, the |
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Director of the Texas School Safety Center, or a designee of the |
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Director, and the Agency Director of the Texas A&M Engineering |
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Extension Service, or a designee of the Agency Director, shall |
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establish a School Safety Advisory Council. |
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(1) The Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, |
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or a designee of the Chief, shall serve as the chair of the School |
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Safety Advisory Council. |
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(2) The council shall study best practices for use in school |
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multi-hazard emergency operations planning in order to make |
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recommendations to the Texas School Safety Center and the Office of |
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Homeland Security. |
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(3) The council shall consider input from school safety |
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personnel, first responders, emergency managers, local officials, |
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school districts, educators, nonprofit organizations, and other |
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stakeholders in order to make its recommendations. |
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(4) The council shall report its findings, including |
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recommendations for any necessary statutory changes, to the |
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legislature before September 1, 2014, and every subsequent |
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even-numbered year. |
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SECTION 2. Article 37.2051, Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 37.2051. SECURITY CRITERIA FOR INSTRUCTIONAL
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FACILITIES. SCHOOL SAFETY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. (a) The center, |
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shall develop security criteria that school districts may consider
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in the design of instructional facilities. in consultation with the |
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School Safety Advisory Council, shall create a School Safety |
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Certification Program for school districts that meet the following |
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eligibility criteria: |
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(1) in the district's multihazard emergency operations |
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plan, the district includes physical security measures, a plan to |
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communicate with parents and the media in the event of an emergency, |
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and an outline of safety training for school personnel; |
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(2) the district demonstrates to the center that the |
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district conducts a minimum of one emergency drill for lockdown, |
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evacuation, reverse evacuation, weather, and shelter-in-place each |
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year; |
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(3) the district has updated its school safety and |
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secu |
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rity audit and reported the results to the Texas School Safety |
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Center as required by Sec 37.108(c), Education Code; and |
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(4) other eligibility criteria as recommended by the |
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School Safety Advisory Council under Sec. 418.0426, Government |
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Code. |
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SECTION 3. 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, 2013. |