Bill Text: TX SB2297 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relating to emergency operations plans for school districts and public junior colleges to promote safe and positive schools.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-22 - Referred to Education [SB2297 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-SB2297-Introduced.html

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By: Gutierrez S.B. No. 2297

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to emergency operations plans for school districts and
public junior colleges to promote safe and positive schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 37.108, Education Code, is amended by
amending subsections (a) and (c-2):
Sec. 37.108. MULTIHAZARD EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN; SAFETY
AND SECURITY AUDIT. (a) Each school district or public junior
college district shall adopt and implement a multihazard emergency
operations plan for use in the district's facilities. The plan must
address prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and
recovery as defined by the Texas School Safety Center in
conjunction with the governor's office of homeland security and the
commissioner of education or commissioner of higher education, as
applicable. The plan must provide for:
(1) training in responding to an emergency for
district employees, including substitute teachers;
(2) measures to ensure district employees, including
substitute teachers, have classroom access to a telephone,
including a cellular telephone, or another electronic
communication device allowing for immediate contact with district
emergency services or emergency services agencies, law enforcement
agencies, health departments, and fire departments;
(3) measures to ensure district communications
technology and infrastructure are adequate to allow for
communication during an emergency;
(4) measures to ensure district employees are trained
and supported in implementing evidence-based strategies to create
positive and safe school environments and build relationships
between students, staff, and families. The measures must:
(A) be age-appropriate and evidence-based;
(B) emphasize preventative measures;
(C) include training and professional
development opportunities to increase the likelihood of proper
implementation and account for employee turnover; and
(D) include districtwide trainings that focus
on:
(i) multi-tiered systems of support for
academic and behavioral success;
(ii) robust family engagement programs that
strengthen the school community;
(iii) trauma-informed practices as defined
in Section 38.036;
(iv) recognizing and responding to the
underlying causes of chronic absenteeism, including through social
support services, as necessary; and
(v) recognizing and responding to student
and employee needs that may impact their ability to thrive
academically or engage in the school community, and making
referrals to social support services or other school- or
community-based services, as necessary.
(E) provide opportunities for student, parent,
educator, and community feedback on implementation of the measures
required by this section.
(4) if the plan applies to a school district,
mandatory school drills and exercises, including drills required
under Section 37.114, to prepare district students and employees
for responding to an emergency;
(5) measures to ensure coordination with the
Department of State Health Services and local emergency management
agencies, law enforcement, health departments, and fire
departments in the event of an emergency; and
(6) the implementation of a safety and security audit
as required by Subsection (b).
(c-2) A document relating to a school district's or public
junior college district's multihazard emergency operations plan is
subject to disclosure if the document enables a person to:
(1) verify that the district has established a plan
and determine the agencies involved in the development of the plan
and the agencies coordinating with the district to respond to an
emergency, including the Department of State Health Services, local
emergency services agencies, law enforcement agencies, health
departments, and fire departments;
(2) verify that the district's plan was reviewed
within the last 12 months and determine the specific review dates;
(3) verify that the plan addresses the five phases of
emergency management under Subsection (a);
(4) verify that district employees have been trained
to respond to an emergency and determine the types of training, the
number of employees trained, and the person conducting the
training;
(5) verify that each campus in the district has
conducted mandatory emergency drills and exercises in accordance
with the plan and determine the frequency of the drills;
(6) if the district is a school district, verify that
the district has established a plan for responding to a train
derailment if required under Subsection (d);
(7) verify that the district has completed a safety
and security audit under Subsection (b) and determine the date the
audit was conducted, the person conducting the audit, and the date
the district presented the results of the audit to the district's
board of trustees;
(8) verify information about the preventative
measures the district has taken under subsection (a)(4);
([8]9) verify that the district has addressed any
recommendations by the district's board of trustees for improvement
of the plan and determine the district's progress within the last 12
months; and
([9]10) if the district is a school district, verify
that the district has established a visitor policy and identify the
provisions governing access to a district building or other
district property.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.