HB4874 - Relating to the policies and procedures of a public school's threat assessment and safe and supportive school team and threat assessment review team.

  89R16121 ANG-D     By: Meyer H.B. No. 4874       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to the policies and procedures of a public school's threat   assessment and safe and supportive school team and threat   assessment review team.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 37.115(a), Education Code, is amended by   adding Subdivision (1-a) to read as follows:                 (1-a) "Review team" means a threat assessment review   team established by the board of trustees of a school district under   this section.          SECTION 2.  Section 37.115, Education Code, is amended by   reenacting and amending Subsection (c), as amended by Chapters 896   (H.B. 3) and 948 (S.B. 1720), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular   Session, 2023, and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows:          (c)  The board of trustees of each school district shall   establish a threat assessment and safe and supportive school team   and a threat assessment review team to serve at each campus of the   district and shall adopt policies and procedures for the teams and   review teams .           (c-1)  A [ The ] team must be composed of at least three   members and is responsible for developing and implementing the safe   and supportive school program under Subsection (b) at the district   campus served by the team.  The policies and procedures adopted   under this section must:                (1)  be consistent with the model policies and   procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center;                (2)  require each team and review team to complete   training provided by the Texas School Safety Center or a regional   education service center regarding evidence-based threat   assessment programs;                (3)  require each team and review team established   under Subsection (c) [ this section ] to report the information   required under Subsection (k) regarding the team's or review   team's, as applicable, activities to the agency; [ and ]                (4)  provide for:                      (A)  a district employee who reports a potential   threat to a team to elect for the employee's identity to be   confidential and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552,   Government Code, except as necessary for the team, the district, or   law enforcement to investigate the potential threat; and                      (B)  the district to maintain a record of the   identity of a district employee who elects for the employee's   identity to be confidential under Paragraph (A) ; and                 (5)  [ (4) ]  require each district campus to establish a   clear procedure for a student to report concerning behavior   exhibited by another student for assessment by the team or other   appropriate school employee.          SECTION 3.  Section 37.115, Education Code, is amended by   adding Subsections (f-3), (h-1), and (h-2) and amending Subsection   (h) to read as follows:           (f-3)     Before a team may conduct a threat assessment of an   individual, at least two-thirds of the members of the team must   agree that a threat assessment is necessary.          (h)  On a determination that a student or other individual   poses a serious risk of violence to self or others, a team must   immediately report that determination to the campus's review team   for review of the determination.           (h-1)     On confirmation by a campus's review team under   Subsection (h) that a student or other individual poses a serious   risk of violence to self or others, a team shall immediately report   the team's determination to the superintendent.  If the individual   is a student, the superintendent shall immediately attempt to   inform the parent or person standing in parental relation to the   student.  The requirements of this subsection do not prevent an   employee of the school from acting immediately to prevent an   imminent threat or respond to an emergency.           (h-2)     A campus's review team shall review any threat   assessment of a student conducted by the team serving that campus to   determine whether information related to the threat assessment   should be included in the student's disciplinary or other school   records.          SECTION 4.  To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails   over another Act of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025,   relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted   codes.          SECTION 5.  This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026   school year.          SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives   a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as   provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this   Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this   Act takes effect September 1, 2025.