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.