| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to an elective course on firearms safety for public high |
|
|
school students. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 28.0121 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 28.0121. FIREARMS SAFETY ELECTIVE COURSE. (a) A |
|
|
school district or open-enrollment charter school that offers a |
|
|
high school program may offer to students in high school an elective |
|
|
course on firearms safety based on the curriculum guidelines |
|
|
developed under Subsection (b). The course must meet the |
|
|
requirements for a one-half elective credit under Section 28.025. |
|
|
(b) The State Board of Education shall develop curriculum |
|
|
guidelines for the elective course on firearms safety. The |
|
|
curriculum guidelines must: |
|
|
(1) focus on accident prevention; |
|
|
(2) promote the safety and protection of students; |
|
|
(3) emphasize how students should respond when |
|
|
encountering a firearm; and |
|
|
(4) include the information contained in the firearms |
|
|
safety portion of a hunter education course under Section 62.014, |
|
|
Parks and Wildlife Code. |
|
|
(c) The State Board of Education shall develop a virtual |
|
|
course on firearms safety that meets the requirements of an |
|
|
elective course under Subsection (a) for a school district or |
|
|
open-enrollment charter school to offer to high school students. |
|
|
(d) The State Board of Education shall make the virtual |
|
|
course on firearms safety developed under Subsection (c) available |
|
|
to: |
|
|
(1) the agency; |
|
|
(2) the Parks and Wildlife Department; and |
|
|
(3) the Department of Public Safety. |
|
|
(e) Each entity described by Subsection (d) shall make the |
|
|
virtual course on firearms safety available to the public free of |
|
|
charge through the entity's Internet website. |
|
|
SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
|
|
of this Act, the State Board of Education shall: |
|
|
(1) develop the curriculum guidelines required under |
|
|
Section 28.0121(b), Education Code, as added by this Act; and |
|
|
(2) develop the virtual course on firearms safety |
|
|
required under Section 28.0121(c), Education Code, as added by this |
|
|
Act. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 28.0121, Education Code, as added by |
|
|
this Act, applies beginning with the 2024-2025 school year. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |