Bill Text: TX HB3898 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to establishing a pilot program to provide a life skills advisor and establish a life skills circle to assess certain student behavior at public high school campuses in certain counties.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-05-11 - Placed on General State Calendar [HB3898 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB3898-Comm_Sub.html
88R20331 ANG-D | |||
By: Martinez | H.B. No. 3898 | ||
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3898: | |||
By: Thompson of Harris | C.S.H.B. No. 3898 |
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relating to establishing a pilot program to provide a life skills | ||
advisor and establish a life skills circle to assess certain | ||
student behavior at public high school campuses in certain | ||
counties. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 33.010 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 33.010. LIFE SKILLS ADVISOR PILOT PROGRAM. (a) In | ||
this section: | ||
(1) "Crime of violence" has the meaning assigned by | ||
Article 59.01, Code of Criminal Procedure. | ||
(2) "Pilot program" means the life skills advisor | ||
pilot program established under this section. | ||
(b) This section applies only to a county that: | ||
(1) is adjacent to: | ||
(A) at least two counties that border the Gulf of | ||
Mexico; and | ||
(B) at least two counties that are located on the | ||
international border; and | ||
(2) is located within 50 miles of a county described by | ||
Subdivision (1). | ||
(c) The commissioner shall: | ||
(1) establish a life skills advisor pilot program at | ||
each high school campus located in a county subject to this section | ||
as a strategy for addressing emotional and mental health concerns | ||
of students; and | ||
(2) develop a mental health and safety curriculum for | ||
use by life skills advisors under the program. | ||
(d) Subject to Subsection (e), a school district located in | ||
a county subject to this section shall designate for each district | ||
high school campus located in the county an educator employed by the | ||
district to serve as a life skills advisor under the pilot program. | ||
(e) The number of life skills advisors in a school district | ||
may not exceed the number of school counselors employed by the | ||
district. | ||
(f) A life skills advisor serving at a high school campus | ||
under this section shall: | ||
(1) collaborate with school district administrators, | ||
school counselors, social workers, other appropriately | ||
credentialed mental health professionals, and local law | ||
enforcement agencies to address mental health concerns affecting | ||
students at the high school campus; | ||
(2) provide instruction to students enrolled at the | ||
high school campus relating to: | ||
(A) skills and techniques to cope with anxiety, | ||
frustration, and other emotions; and | ||
(B) the mental health and safety curriculum | ||
developed by the commissioner under Subsection (c); | ||
(3) counsel any students enrolled at the high school | ||
campus who have committed a crime of violence or are identified as | ||
having a mental health condition; and | ||
(4) establish a life skills circle described by | ||
Subsection (g) to assess certain student behavior and make a | ||
recommendation regarding the appropriate disciplinary action a | ||
school should take in response to that student behavior. | ||
(g) A life skills advisor shall establish a life skills | ||
circle to assess a student's behavior if an incident involving the | ||
student occurs that: | ||
(1) violates school policy; | ||
(2) requires the involvement of law enforcement; and | ||
(3) involves violence or drugs. | ||
(h) A life skills circle established under Subsection (g) | ||
must include the life skills advisor and students enrolled at the | ||
high school campus. | ||
(i) During a life skills circle, the life skills advisor | ||
shall facilitate open discussion between participating students | ||
regarding the relevant incident, including allowing students to ask | ||
questions, speak to witnesses, and review evidence. | ||
(j) Based on discussion during a life skills circle, the | ||
life skills advisor and participating students shall make a | ||
recommendation regarding the appropriate disciplinary action the | ||
school should take against the student whose behavior is being | ||
assessed and submit the recommendation to the school administrator | ||
designated by the school district. | ||
(k) A recommendation under Subsection (j) may include: | ||
(1) restricting the student's participation in certain | ||
extracurricular activities; | ||
(2) requiring the student to perform community | ||
service; or | ||
(3) a combination of the actions described by | ||
Subdivisions (1) and (2). | ||
(l) If the life skills advisor and participating students | ||
find that the student did not violate school policy, the advisor and | ||
students shall submit a letter to the designated school | ||
administrator stating the finding. | ||
(m) The school district shall consider the life skills | ||
circle's recommendation when determining the disciplinary action | ||
to take against the student. | ||
(n) A school district located in a county subject to this | ||
section may solicit and accept a gift, grant, or donation from any | ||
source, including a foundation, private entity, governmental | ||
entity, or institution of higher education to implement or | ||
administer the pilot program. | ||
(o) Not later than January 1, 2029, the commissioner shall | ||
review the pilot program established under this section and submit | ||
to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house | ||
of representatives, and the presiding officer of each legislative | ||
standing committee with primary jurisdiction over primary and | ||
secondary education a written report regarding the progress made by | ||
the pilot program in addressing emotional and mental health | ||
concerns of students. | ||
(p) The commissioner shall adopt rules necessary to | ||
administer the pilot program. | ||
(q) This section expires September 1, 2029. | ||
SECTION 2. (a) Not later than December 1, 2023, the | ||
commissioner of education shall adopt rules necessary to implement | ||
and administer the life skills advisor pilot program established | ||
under Section 33.010, Education Code, as added by this Act. | ||
(b) As soon as practicable after the effective date of this | ||
Act, the commissioner of education shall develop the mental health | ||
and safety curriculum required by Section 33.010(c), Education | ||
Code, as added by this Act. | ||
(c) The life skills advisor pilot program established under | ||
Section 33.010, Education Code, as added by this Act, shall be | ||
implemented in each public high school located in a county subject | ||
to that section beginning with the 2024-2025 school year. | ||
SECTION 3. 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, 2023. |