November Safety Newsletter
KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW
Legal Disclaimer
Safe Firearm Storage Resources
Information for School Districts and Open-Enrollment Charter Schools to Assist with New Legislative Requirements
House Bill 3, Section 19 (88th Texas Legislature) adds Section 37.222 to the Texas Education Code, which requires the Texas School Safety Center, in collaboration with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), to provide to each school district and open-enrollment charter school information and other resources regarding the safe storage of firearms, including information on section 46.13 of the Texas Penal Code, for distribution by the district or school.
The Texas DPS has created a public relations campaign – Keep ’Em Safe Texas – that offers free downloadable resources to promote safe gun storage.
Districts must provide this information to the parent or guardian of each student enrolled in the district or school. The Texas School Safety Center recommends districts provide this information twice annually – once at the beginning of the school year and once at the end of the school year.
Below you will find links to resources in English and Spanish to assist districts with meeting this legislative mandate. Districts may select the resources and formats that best fit their needs.
Keep ’Em Safe Texas Resources
Program Overview 8.5 × 11 Flyer: English / Spanish
12 × 18 Poster: English / Spanish
How to Talk to Others About Gun Safety 8.5 × 11 Flyer: English / Spanish
Ways to Safely Store Guns (Devices) 8.5 × 11 Flyer: English / Spanish
Training Presentation for Parents: English
You can also find the resources listed above, additional information, and Texas firearm statistics
at https://safegunstoragetexas.com
Parent Letter
The Texas School Safety Center has also prepared a parent cover letter template that districts may adapt to introduce the resources above and provide parents with information on section 46.13 of the Penal Code.
Parent Letter Template - English: Download here
Parent Letter Template - Spanish: Download here
Chapter 22 Subchapter C, of the Texas Education Code (TEC) requires school entities to ensure that certain individuals are fingerprinted to undergo a national criminal history records review and that other individuals undergo a name-based criminal history record information review. In addition, superintendents of districts and chief operating officers of open-enrollment charter schools are required to certify annually that the district or charter school has complied with TEC, §22.085. The deadline for this submission is Friday, December 8, 2023.
If an educator knows or should have known, through a criminal history record information review, that an employee or applicant has been convicted of certain offenses, as set forth in TEC, §22.085(a), and the educator retains the employee or hires the applicant, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) may impose a sanction on the educator.
Districts and charter schools that fail to certify and return the attached form by the deadline may be subject to:
- Inclusion in a permanent public notice that lists all districts and open-enrollment charter schools that have failed to certify compliance with fingerprinting and background check requirements;
- A special investigation as defined under TEC, §39.003 and §39.004; and
- An investigation of the superintendent or chief operating officer who has violated TEC, §11.201(d)(13), or 19 Texas Administrative Code §249.15 by failing to complete the certification as required.
Accordingly, please sign, notarize, and submit your completed 2023-2024 Annual Fingerprinting Certification and Statement of Compliance via email to FingerprintingCompliance@tea.texas.gov by Friday, December 8, 2023.
If you have any questions regarding this letter, please submit your inquiry through the Fingerprinting Help Desk.
Maintenance, Administration, and Disposal of Opioid Antagonists
Senate Bill (SB) 629 (88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023) adds new TEC, Chapter 38, Subchapter E-1, Maintenance, Administration, and Disposal of Opioid Antagonists, establishing requirements for school districts related to opioid antagonists on school campuses. New TEC, §38.222 requires each school district to adopt and implement a policy regarding the maintenance, administration, and disposal of opioid antagonists at each campus in the district that serves students in grades 6–12. The legislation permits districts to adopt and implement such a policy at each campus in the district, including campuses serving students in a grade level below grade 6. School districts are not required to comply with the requirement to adopt and implement a policy on the maintenance, administration, and disposal of opioid antagonists before January 1, 2024.
Additionally, SB 629 permits open-enrollment charter schools and private schools to adopt and implement such a policy. If a charter school or private school adopts such a policy, the school is permitted to apply the policy only at campuses serving students in grades 6–12 or at each campus, including campuses serving students in a grade level below grade 6.
The legislation requires that a policy for the maintenance, administration, and disposal of opioid antagonists must provide that school personnel and volunteers who are authorized and trained may administer an opioid antagonist to a person who is reasonably believed to be experiencing an opioid-related drug overdose. More details regarding policy requirements are addressed in TEC, §38.222.
SB 629 also adds TEC, §38.223 requiring schools with a policy on the administration of opioid antagonists to report certain information no later than the 10th business day after the date a school personnel member or a school volunteer administers an opioid antagonist.
New TEC, §38.224 establishes that each school district, open-enrollment charter school, and private school that adopts a policy regarding the maintenance, administration, and disposal of opioid antagonists is responsible for training school personnel and school volunteers in the administration of an opioid antagonist. For specific information on the training requirements, please see TEC, §38.224.
Overdose Prevention Training: Key Updates & Refresher
Live Zoom Trainings
November 14 12:00-12:30 PM CST
November 29 12:00-12:30 PM CST
December 12 12:00-12:30 PM CST
December 19 12:00-12:30 PM CST
UT Health San Antonio is offering updated trainings that will address:
- Updates on current trends driving increases in overdose frequency and mortality.
- A framework for understanding the complex individual, social, and situational factors that shape overdose risk.
- Actions we can take to strengthen our efforts at preventing overdose frequency.
- A refresher to support knowledge and confidence for recognizing and responding to an overdose.
- Recommended access to reliable resources of additional information.
Need training right now?
How to administer Narcan – watch this short 2 minute video
Restorative Discipline Practices Trainings for November
Dr. Gaye Lang: Restorative Discipline Practices Statewide Director
Restorative Practices Made Simple published the 10th episode in the series. In this video, Dr. Gaye Lang and panelists Tijuana Hudson and Clifton Wilson discuss experiences and insights on Planning for Success and how to effectively implement Restorative Discipline Practices, with a focus on training teachers and administrators. Watch the latest Restorative Practices Made Simple episode -- Planning for Success: Implementation (Part 1).
Restorative Discipline Practices Trainings for November:
Early Childhood Workshop: November 8, 2023
RDP Administrator Training: November 9, 2023 (FULL)
RDP Parent Liaison Training: November 14, 2023
RDP Coordinator Training: November 15-16, 2023 (FULL)
Register for upcoming RDP trainings at RDP Training Information. If the training you plan to attend is FULL, please check the website periodically. New training dates are updated monthly.
Please submit all questions regarding Restorative Discipline Practices to rdp@tea.texas.gov.
- Student Discipline Technical Resources are now located on the Student Discipline webpage: Student Discipline Program Technical Resources and Samples
- Please submit questions regarding student discipline policy and procedure to StudentDisciplineSupport@tea.texas.gov and questions regarding student discipline data reporting requirements via TSDS Incident Management System (TIMS).
Victoria Rossi: Educator Training Specialist is developing an educator training series focused on addressing student behavior and creating a better school experience for students and educators.
School Safety Trainings
Safety & Security Roundtable Series
The Safety & Security Roundtable Series are developed to bring District Leadership, School Safety & Security Professionals, School Based Law Enforcement and school district stakeholders together to keep our LEAs informed of training requirements, legislative updates and trends affecting school safety. The goals of the roundtables are to:
- Explore critical safety issues facing schools
- Identify potential threats, risks or trends
- Examine potential solutions
- Information Sharing
- Collaborate with local, county & state partnerships
- Improve the climate of school safety
Mandatory School Drills and Active Threat Exercises
January 18, 2024
9am-11am
Region 10 ESC
400 E Spring Valley Rd
Richardson, TX 75081
This roundtable will focus on requirements for Texas Administrative Code 103.1209: Mandatory School Drills, Texas Administrative Code 103.1211: Active Threat Exercises and Establishing a Drill Timetable.