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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the policies and procedures of a public school's threat |
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assessment and safe and supportive school team and threat |
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assessment review team. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 37.115(a), Education Code, is amended by |
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adding Subdivision (1-a) to read as follows: |
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(1-a) "Review team" means a threat assessment review |
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team established by the board of trustees of a school district under |
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this section. |
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SECTION 2. Section 37.115, Education Code, is amended by |
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reenacting and amending Subsection (c), as amended by Chapters 896 |
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(H.B. 3) and 948 (S.B. 1720), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular |
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Session, 2023, and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows: |
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(c) The board of trustees of each school district shall |
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establish a threat assessment and safe and supportive school team |
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and a threat assessment review team to serve at each campus of the |
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district and shall adopt policies and procedures for the teams and |
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review teams. |
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(c-1) A [The] team must be composed of at least three |
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members and is responsible for developing and implementing the safe |
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and supportive school program under Subsection (b) at the district |
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campus served by the team. The policies and procedures adopted |
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under this section must: |
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(1) be consistent with the model policies and |
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procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center; |
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(2) require each team and review team to complete |
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training provided by the Texas School Safety Center or a regional |
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education service center regarding evidence-based threat |
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assessment programs; |
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(3) require each team and review team established |
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under Subsection (c) [this section] to report the information |
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required under Subsection (k) regarding the team's or review |
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team's, as applicable, activities to the agency; [and] |
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(4) provide for: |
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(A) a district employee who reports a potential |
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threat to a team to elect for the employee's identity to be |
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confidential and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, |
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Government Code, except as necessary for the team, the district, or |
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law enforcement to investigate the potential threat; and |
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(B) the district to maintain a record of the |
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identity of a district employee who elects for the employee's |
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identity to be confidential under Paragraph (A); and |
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(5) [(4)] require each district campus to establish a |
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clear procedure for a student to report concerning behavior |
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exhibited by another student for assessment by the team or other |
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appropriate school employee. |
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SECTION 3. Section 37.115, Education Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsections (f-3), (h-1), and (h-2) and amending Subsection |
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(h) to read as follows: |
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(f-3) Before a team may conduct a threat assessment of an |
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individual, at least two-thirds of the members of the team must |
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agree that a threat assessment is necessary. |
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(h) On a determination that a student or other individual |
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poses a serious risk of violence to self or others, a team must |
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immediately report that determination to the campus's review team |
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for review of the determination. |
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(h-1) On confirmation by a campus's review team under |
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Subsection (h) that a student or other individual poses a serious |
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risk of violence to self or others, a team shall immediately report |
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the team's determination to the superintendent. If the individual |
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is a student, the superintendent shall immediately attempt to |
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inform the parent or person standing in parental relation to the |
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student. The requirements of this subsection do not prevent an |
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employee of the school from acting immediately to prevent an |
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imminent threat or respond to an emergency. |
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(h-2) A campus's review team shall review any threat |
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assessment of a student conducted by the team serving that campus to |
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determine whether information related to the threat assessment |
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should be included in the student's disciplinary or other school |
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records. |
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SECTION 4. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails |
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over another Act of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, |
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relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted |
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codes. |
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SECTION 5. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026 |
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school year. |
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SECTION 6. 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, 2025. |