2023 Texas Statutes › Education Code › Title 2 - Public Education › Subtitle G - Safe Schools › Chapter 37 - Discipline; Law and Order › Subchapter D. Protection of Buildings and Grounds › Section 37.1083. Agency Monitoring of School District Safety and Security Requirements

Sec. 37.1083.  AGENCY MONITORING OF SCHOOL DISTRICT SAFETY AND SECURITY REQUIREMENTS.  (a)  The agency shall monitor the implementation and operation of requirements related to school district safety and security, including school district:
(1)  multihazard emergency operations plans; and
(2)  safety and security audits.
(b)  The agency shall establish an office of school safety and security within the agency that consists of individuals with substantial expertise and experience in school or law enforcement safety and security operations and oversight at the local, state, or federal level to coordinate the agency's monitoring of school district safety and security requirements under this section.  The director of the office is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate and must report directly to the commissioner.
(c)  The agency shall, in coordination with the Texas School Safety Center and relevant local law enforcement agencies, provide technical assistance to school districts to support the implementation and operation of safety and security requirements.
(d)  As part of the technical assistance provided under Subsection (c), the agency shall conduct a detailed vulnerability assessment of each school district on a random basis determined by the agency once every four years.  The assessment must:
(1)  assess facility access controls, emergency operations procedures, and other school safety requirements; and
(2)  to the greatest extent practicable, coincide with the safety and security audit required under Section 37.108.
(e)  The agency shall use a rubric developed by the office of school safety and security in collaboration with the Texas School Safety Center to conduct a vulnerability assessment of a school district under Subsection (d).
(f)  On completion of a vulnerability assessment under Subsection (d), the agency shall provide to the superintendent and school safety and security committee established under Section 37.109 for the applicable school district a report on the results of the assessment that includes recommendations and required corrective actions to address any deficiencies in campus security identified by the agency.
(g)  The agency may engage a third party as necessary to enable the agency to monitor the implementation and operation of school district safety and security requirements under this section.
(h)  The agency may require a school district to submit information necessary for the agency to monitor the implementation and operation of school district safety and security requirements under this section, including:
(1)  notice of an event requiring a district's emergency response including the discovery of a firearm on a campus; and
(2)  information regarding the district's response and use of emergency operations procedures during an event described by Subdivision (1).
(i)  The agency may review school district records as necessary to ensure compliance with this subchapter and Subchapter G.
(j)  Any document or information collected, identified, developed, or produced relating to the monitoring of school district safety and security requirements under this section is confidential under Sections 418.177 and 418.181, Government Code, and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code.
(k)  The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to administer this section.
Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 896 (H.B. 3), Sec. 14, eff. September 1, 2023.