88R4649 MEW-F

By: Hughes S.B. No. 866

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a requirement that school districts and open-enrollment charter schools provide emergency response mapping data to local law enforcement agencies.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 37.108(f), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(f) A school district shall include in its multihazard emergency operations plan:

(1) a chain of command that designates the individual responsible for making final decisions during a disaster or emergency situation and identifies other individuals responsible for making those decisions if the designated person is unavailable;

(2) provisions that address physical and psychological safety for responding to a natural disaster, active shooter, and any other dangerous scenario identified for purposes of this section by the agency or the Texas School Safety Center;

(3) provisions for ensuring the safety of students in portable buildings;

(4) provisions for ensuring that students and district personnel with disabilities are provided equal access to safety during a disaster or emergency situation;

(5) provisions for providing immediate notification to parents, guardians, and other persons standing in parental relation in circumstances involving a significant threat to the health or safety of students, including identification of the individual with responsibility for overseeing the notification;

(6) provisions for supporting the psychological safety of students, district personnel, and the community during the response and recovery phase following a disaster or emergency situation that:

(A) are aligned with best practice-based programs and research-based practices recommended under Section 38.351;

(B) include strategies for ensuring any required professional development training for suicide prevention and grief-informed and trauma-informed care is provided to appropriate school personnel;

(C) include training on integrating psychological safety and suicide prevention strategies into the district's plan, such as psychological first aid for schools training, from an approved list of recommended training established by the commissioner and Texas School Safety Center for:

(i) members of the district's school safety and security committee under Section 37.109;

(ii) district school counselors and mental health professionals; and

(iii) educators and other district personnel as determined by the district;

(D) include strategies and procedures for integrating and supporting physical and psychological safety that align with the provisions described by Subdivision (2); and

(E) implement trauma-informed policies;

(7) a policy for providing a substitute teacher access to school campus buildings and materials necessary for the substitute teacher to carry out the duties of a district employee during an emergency or a mandatory emergency drill; [and]

(8) the name of each individual on the district's school safety and security committee established under Section 37.109 and the date of each committee meeting during the preceding year; and

(9) certification that the district is in compliance with Section 37.116, requiring the district to provide local law enforcement agencies and emergency first responders emergency response mapping data for all school campuses and buildings.

SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 37, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 37.116 to read as follows:

Sec. 37.116. EMERGENCY RESPONSE MAPPING DATA. (a) For purposes of this section, "emergency response mapping data" means information provided in an electronic or digital format to assist a law enforcement agency or emergency first responder in an emergency, including:

(1) accurate floor plans overlaid on current aerial imagery of a school building;

(2) site-specific labeling that matches the structure of the school building, including:

(A) room labels;

(B) hallway names;

(C) external door and stairwell numbers;

(D) locations of hazards;

(E) key utility locations; and

(F) key boxes;

(3) site-specific labeling that matches the school grounds, including:

(A) parking areas;

(B) athletic fields;

(C) surrounding roads; and

(D) neighboring roads; and

(4) a standardized gridded overlay with X and Y coordinates.

(b) Each school district and open-enrollment charter school shall provide to all appropriate local law enforcement agencies and emergency first responders emergency response mapping data for each campus and school building.

(c) The emergency response mapping data provided under Subsection (b):

(1) must be compatible with software platforms used by local, state, and federal public safety agencies that provide emergency services;

(2) must be compatible with software platforms used by the school district or open-enrollment charter school;

(3) may not require additional software or the integration of third-party software to view the data;

(4) must be provided in a printable format;

(5) must be verified for accuracy through an annual walk-through of the school campus or building for which the information was provided;

(6) must be oriented to true north; and

(7) must contain a standardized grid system to ensure easy communication by all responders.

(d) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may use school safety grants made available for the purpose of this section or funds provided to the district or school through the school safety allotment under Section 48.115 to comply with this section.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.