Multiple School Safety Bills Submitted to Texas Senate to Meet Legislative Priorities

Senator Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) has announced the introduction of the “Safety 6” bill, six different pieces of legislation on school safety.

One of the main reforms proposed in Bettencourt’s slate was the Senate Bill (SB) 1630, create mandatory procedures for handling cases of school truancy. Specifically, it establishes notification requirements and stipulates that school attendance officers make home visits and inspect living conditions.

In a press release, Bettencourt noted that Houston-area schools had more than 130,000 school truancy incidents in the 2021-2022 school year, and what school shootings like the Robb Elementary School gunman had been. It showed that there were 100 truant absences.

In a statement about the bill, Betencourt said, “The bottom line is that school attendance and truancy are not trends that are good for children, their families, or society, so we have to do something.

Other proposals for the Safety 6 bill include requiring that student disciplinary records and threat assessment files be sent to the new school to which the student is transferring.

another bill, SB1631has established a grant program that provides $3,000 to all school campuses and funds the School Marshals and Parents Program.

Bettencourt wasn’t the only senator to make a school safety proposal in Congress.

Submitted by Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) SB11This would require the creation of school safety resource boards provided through local education centers, require the Texas Department of Education to monitor campus security and safety requirements, and ensure that disciplinary records track students to new schools. We provide a variety of safety-related reforms, such as

The act also provides school districts statewide with school security grants of up to $15,000 per campus.

Another school security option on offer is SB147 By Sen. Drew Springer (Republican Munster), school districts and charter schools in counties with less than 150,000 population volunteer retired police officers and veterans after completing their education with Board of Education approval. Allows you to bring in as security guards for your school. check.

School safety and security was named one of Patrick’s top 30 priority legislative issues With the legislature moving full speed ahead in the Texas Senate last month, pending legislation is set for committee hearings soon.