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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to minimum standards for entry safety point protocols and |
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infrastructure for school districts and charter schools. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 37, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 37.2072 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 37.2072. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR SCHOOL ENTRY POINT |
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PROTOCOLS AND INFRASTRUCTURE. (a) The center shall develop |
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minimum standards for reducing and securing school entry points in |
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order to ensure that the security standards for instructional |
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facilities and other school district and charter school facilities |
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provide for a safe environment. |
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(b) The minimum standards for reducing entry points |
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developed pursuant to Subsection (a) shall include: |
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(1) determining the minimum number of open entry |
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points required to allow for efficient ingress of students and |
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faculty for the start of a school day and limiting the number of |
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open entry points to that minimum; |
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(2) further reducing the total number of open entry |
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points to the greatest extent possible once the initial entry of |
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students and faculty for the start of a school day has been |
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completed; |
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(3) securing all other points of access so as to not |
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allow entry while still allowing students and faculty to exit in the |
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event of an emergency; and |
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(4) remotely monitoring other points of access by use |
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of access controls, camera systems, or other devices determined by |
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the school district or charter school to be effective and feasible. |
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(c) The minimum standards for securing entry points |
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developed pursuant to Subsection (a) shall be divided into four |
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levels based upon the specific needs and available resources of a |
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school district or charter school. The levels shall be delineated |
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as follows: |
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(1) Level One shall provide for visual surveillance of |
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the entry point by school security personnel or school staff to |
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monitor for unusual behavior while applying questioning, |
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individual searches, and bag checks when deemed warranted; |
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(2) Level Two shall include all of the practices |
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described in Level One, as well as performing random checks of |
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entrants by school security personnel or school staff utilizing |
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handheld metal detectors; |
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(3) Level Three shall include establishing security |
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screening during which entrants and their belongings would be |
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randomly screened by walk through metal detectors, as well as |
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applying all of the practices described in Level One and using |
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handheld metal detectors for secondary screening; and |
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(4) Level Four shall entail comprehensive security |
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screening of all entrants and their belongings, including applying |
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all of the practices described in Level One; screening all entrants |
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through the use of walk through metal detectors; using handheld |
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metal detectors for secondary screening; conducting bag checks in |
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only those instances in which the alarm in the walk through metal |
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detector sounds; and instructing entrants to use low metal content |
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backpacks and school supplies to mitigate the alarms and maintain |
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efficient ingress. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |