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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the exchange of information among certain entities |
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concerning at-risk youth. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 37.084(a), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) A school district superintendent or the |
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superintendent's designee shall [may] disclose information |
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contained in a student's educational records to an [a juvenile
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justice] agency, as that term is defined by Section 58.0052 |
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[58.101], Family Code, if the disclosure is [under an interagency
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agreement] authorized by that section [Section 58.0051, Family
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Code]. |
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SECTION 2. Section 58.0051, Family Code, is amended to read |
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as follows: |
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Sec. 58.0051. INTERAGENCY SHARING OF RECORDS FOR RESEARCH, |
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AUDIT, AND ANALYTICAL PURPOSES. [(a)
Within each county, a
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district school superintendent and the juvenile probation
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department may enter into a written interagency agreement to share
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information about juvenile offenders. The agreement must specify
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the conditions under which summary criminal history information is
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to be made available to appropriate school personnel and the
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conditions under which school records are to be made available to
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appropriate juvenile justice agencies.
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[(b) Information disclosed under this section by a school
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district must relate to the juvenile system's ability to serve,
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before adjudication, the student whose records are being released.
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[(c) A juvenile justice agency official who receives
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educational information under this section shall certify in writing
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that the institution or individual receiving the personally
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identifiable information has agreed not to disclose it to a third
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party, other than another juvenile justice agency.
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[(d) A juvenile justice agency that receives educational
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information under this section shall destroy all information when
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the child is no longer under the jurisdiction of a juvenile court.
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[(e)] The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission may, in |
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conformity with Section 58.0072 of this code and Section 37.084, |
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Education Code, enter into an interagency agreement to share |
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educational information for research, audit, and analytical |
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purposes with the: |
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(1) Texas Education Agency; |
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(2) Texas Youth Commission; and |
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(3) Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 58, Family Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 58.0052 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 58.0052. EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION CONCERNING AT-RISK |
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YOUTH. (a) In this section: |
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(1) "Agency" means any of the following entities or a |
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person with an agency relationship with any of the following |
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entities: |
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(A) the Texas Youth Commission; |
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(B) the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission; |
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(C) the Department of Family and Protective |
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Services; |
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(D) the Texas Education Agency; |
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(E) a juvenile probation department; |
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(F) a school district or open-enrollment charter |
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school; |
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(G) a local mental health or mental retardation |
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authority; |
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(H) a county health department; |
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(I) a county department that provides services to |
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at-risk youth or their families; |
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(J) a child advocacy center established under |
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Section 264.402, Family Code; |
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(K) a hospital district; |
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(L) a court with jurisdiction over juveniles; |
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(M) a district attorney's office; or |
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(N) a county attorney's office. |
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(2) "At-risk youth" means a person who is under 18 |
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years of age and: |
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(A) has been taken into custody under Section |
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52.01; |
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(B) has been referred to a juvenile court for |
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allegedly engaging in delinquent conduct or conduct indicating a |
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need for supervision; |
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(C) is likely to engage in delinquent conduct |
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based on one or more prior referrals to a court for having engaged |
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in delinquent conduct or conduct indicating a need for supervision; |
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(D) has three or more absences from school in a |
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six-month period that have not been excused by a school official; |
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(E) has been removed three or more times from a |
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classroom by a teacher under Section 37.002, Education Code, during |
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a six-month period; |
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(F) is at risk of removal from the child's home |
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into institutional care; or |
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(G) has received services from two or more |
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agencies. |
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(b) At the request of an agency for specific information |
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relating to an at-risk youth, an agency shall disclose the at-risk |
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youth's personally identifiable information that is otherwise |
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confidential, including information contained in educational |
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records. |
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(c) The requesting agency must certify in writing that the |
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agency will not disclose confidential information received under |
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this section to a third party, other than another agency. |
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(d) An agency may use information provided to the agency |
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under this section only to identify an at-risk youth and to assist |
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the agency in providing prevention and intervention services to the |
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at-risk youth. |
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(e) An agency may establish an internal protocol for sharing |
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information with other agencies as necessary to efficiently and |
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promptly disclose and accept the information and to maintain the |
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confidential status of the information. The protocol may specify |
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the types of information that may be shared under this section |
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without violating federal law, including any federal funding |
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requirements. An agency may enter into a memorandum of |
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understanding with another agency to share information according to |
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the agencies' protocols. An agency shall comply with this section |
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regardless of whether the agency establishes an internal protocol |
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or enters into a memorandum of understanding under this subsection |
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unless compliance with this section violates federal law. |
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(f) This section does not affect the confidential status of |
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the information being shared. The information may be released as |
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directed by a court order or as otherwise authorized by law. |
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Personal information is not subject to disclosure under Chapter |
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552, Government Code. |
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(g) To the extent this section conflicts with another law of |
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this state relating to confidential information held by an agency, |
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this section controls. |
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SECTION 4. 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, 2011. |