Bill Text: TX SB1989 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relating to the use of restraint, seclusion, and time-out in public schools.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-19 - Referred to Education [SB1989 Detail]

Download: Texas-2019-SB1989-Introduced.html

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86R12684 TSS-F
By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1989

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the use of restraint, seclusion, and time-out in public
schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 37, Education Code, is amended by adding
Subchapter J to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER J. USE OF RESTRAINT, SECLUSION, AND TIME-OUT
Sec. 37.351. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Mechanical restraint" means a device used for the
restraint of a student.
(2) "Restraint" means the use of physical force or a
mechanical restraint to significantly restrict the free movement of
all or a portion of a student's body.
(3) "Seclusion" means a behavior management technique
in which a student is separated from other students and confined in
a box, closet, room, or other area from which the student may not
exit.
(4) "Time-out" means a behavior management technique
in which, to provide a student with an opportunity to regain
self-control, the student is separated from other students for a
limited period in the same classroom in a location where the student
can continue to hear and observe instruction.
Sec. 37.352. APPLICABILITY. (a) Except as provided by
Subsection (b), this subchapter applies to a person who provides
any service at a public school, regardless of whether the person
provides the service as an employee of the school, as a school
volunteer, or under a contract or other agreement with the school.
(b) This subchapter and any rules or procedures adopted
under this subchapter do not apply to:
(1) a peace officer, other than a school district
peace officer or school resource officer, performing law
enforcement duties;
(2) juvenile probation, detention, or corrections
personnel; or
(3) an educational services provider with whom a
student is placed by a judicial authority, unless the services are
provided in an educational program of a school district.
Sec. 37.353. USE OF RESTRAINT, SECLUSION, OR TIME-OUT. (a)
A person may not use restraint or time-out:
(1) to discipline, punish, coerce, or retaliate
against a student;
(2) for the purpose of convenience, including to ease
the performance of a person's duties; or
(3) to manage a physical, intellectual, or
developmental disability as a replacement for effective treatment
for the disability.
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (f), a person may not
seclude a student, including a student with a disability who
receives special education services under Subchapter A, Chapter 29,
or who is covered by Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29
U.S.C. Section 794).
(c) A person may not use on a student:
(1) a mechanical restraint; or
(2) a restraint that:
(A) obstructs a student's airway, including a
procedure that places anything in, on, or over the student's mouth
or nose;
(B) impairs the student's breathing by putting
pressure on the torso;
(C) restricts the student's circulation;
(D) secures a student to a stationary object;
(E) restricts a student's movement by causing
pain, including restraint using a pressure point or joint lock;
(F) interferes with the student's ability to
communicate, including by restraining the hands of a person who
uses American Sign Language;
(G) transmits an electrical charge;
(H) uses a chemical agent; or
(I) causes the student to become prone or supine.
(d) A student who is restrained may not be placed in
time-out.
(e) Except as provided by Subsection (f), a person may only
restrain a student if:
(1) the restraint is immediately necessary to prevent
the student from causing serious bodily harm to any person;
(2) the person has not been able to reduce the
potential for imminent harm through preventative de-escalatory or
redirection techniques;
(3) the force used to restrain the student is limited
to the amount of force immediately necessary to prevent the harm;
(4) the restraint lasts no longer than the shorter of:
(A) the duration of the threat of harm to any
person; or
(B) 15 minutes; and
(5) the health and safety of the student and others are
protected.
(f) For purposes of this subsection, "weapon" includes any
weapon described under Section 37.007(a)(1). A student in the
possession of a weapon may be restrained or secluded in an emergency
situation while awaiting the arrival of law enforcement personnel
if the restraint or seclusion is necessary to prevent the student
from causing serious bodily harm to any person.
(g) If a student is released from restraint, as required
under Subsection (e)(4), but still poses an immediate threat, the
student may be restrained again in accordance with Subsection (e).
(h) If a student experiences a medical emergency while
restrained or in time-out, the person responsible for the restraint
or time-out shall release the student and administer appropriate
medical care or contact emergency personnel.
(i) A student in a restraint or time-out shall be
immediately released and evacuated in the case of a mandatory
emergency drill or other event requiring the evacuation of
students.
Sec. 37.354. CONTACT NOT CONSIDERED RESTRAINT. (a) Unless
the student verbally or physically resists, the following contact
is not considered restraint for purposes of this subchapter:
(1) a device prescribed or provided by a medical
professional that may be included in the student's individualized
education program under Section 29.005 or physical contact that:
(A) assists a student's normal body position or
body movements; or
(B) prevents the student from engaging in
repetitive behavior harmful to the student;
(2) limited physical contact to:
(A) promote safety;
(B) prevent harm;
(C) teach an academic or athletic skill;
(D) redirect attention;
(E) provide directions; or
(F) provide comfort;
(3) time-out; or
(4) a seat belt or other safety equipment used to
secure a student during transportation.
(b) It is considered a restraint under this subchapter to
coerce or force a student into time-out or prevent the student from
leaving time-out.
Sec. 37.355. TRAINING. (a) The commissioner shall adopt
rules requiring each person who has direct contact with students to
complete competency-based training approved by the agency on the
proper use of restraint and time-out before being permitted to
restrain a student or place a student in time-out.
(b) The agency shall only approve a training program under
Subsection (a) that:
(1) is evidence-based, as defined by Section 8101,
Every Student Succeeds Act (20 U.S.C. Section 7801);
(2) promotes the prevention and minimization of the
use of restraint; and
(3) includes instruction on:
(A) positive strategies for behavioral
management, other than the use of restraint or seclusion, including
through trauma-informed practices;
(B) communication and collaboration techniques;
(C) identifying the potential causes of
aggressive or threatening behaviors, including recognizing
physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities and a need
for physical, mental, or emotional health care;
(D) early recognition and mitigation of
situations that may lead to an imminent threat of serious bodily
harm, including through the use of a range of techniques for early
intervention, de-escalation, mediation, and problem-solving;
(E) common medications used by school-aged
children and their potential effects;
(F) the effects on a student's behavior and
responses to restraint or time-out of the student's:
(i) age;
(ii) weight;
(iii) intellectual and developmental
ability;
(iv) gender;
(v) cultural background;
(vi) race and ethnicity;
(vii) experience with trauma; and
(viii) history of physical contact or abuse
and the use of restraint, seclusion, or time-out;
(G) the psychological consequences of restraint
and time-out and the effect the consequences can have on behavior;
(H) identifying the symptoms of a medical
emergency during the use of restraint and appropriate responses;
and
(I) permitted and prohibited forms of restraint
and strategies for minimizing physical contact when restraining a
student.
(c) The agency shall review approved training programs
annually to ensure each training program is in compliance with this
subchapter.
(d) Rules adopted under this section must require a person
to complete initial and continuing training programs as determined
by the agency.
Sec. 37.356. POLICY ON USE OF RESTRAINT OR TIME-OUT. (a)
The board of trustees of a school district shall adopt a policy
regarding the appropriate use of restraint, seclusion, and
time-out. The policy may minimize the use of restraint or time-out
further than required under this subchapter.
(b) The board of trustees of a school district shall provide
written notice to each student's parent or person standing in
parental relation to the student of the district's policy regarding
the use of restraint and time-out.
Sec. 37.357. NOTICE OF USE OF RESTRAINT OR TIME-OUT. (a)
As soon as practicable but not later than the end of the same day an
incident involving the use of restraint or time-out occurs, the
principal or another appropriate administrator shall notify
verbally and in writing the parent or the person standing in
parental relation to the student who was restrained or placed in
time-out of the incident.
(b) The notice must include:
(1) the student's name;
(2) the name, position, and qualifications of the
person who restrained the student or placed the student in
time-out, including the training program under Section 37.355
completed by the person and the date of completion;
(3) the date and time of the restraint or time-out and
its duration;
(4) the location of the restraint or time-out,
including address and room number, as applicable;
(5) the specific type of restraint or time-out used;
(6) the student's description of the reasons for the
restraint or time-out;
(7) if a restraint was used, a description of the
emergency situation, including the specific imminent threat of
serious bodily harm posed by the student;
(8) the strategies and de-escalation efforts used to
avoid restraint or time-out and the student's response to those
strategies and efforts; and
(9) information on the procedure for the parent or
person to arrange a meeting with the principal, administrator, or
other district employee regarding the use of restraint or time-out.
(c) The principal or administrator shall electronically
submit a report to the agency describing each instance of the use of
restraint or time-out. The report shall include:
(1) the notice provided under this section;
(2) the name of the parent or person who was notified;
(3) the method of notification;
(4) the date and time of the notification;
(5) if the parent of or person standing in parental
relation to the student attended a meeting regarding the incident;
and
(6) the date, time, and content of any meeting held.
(d) The principal or administrator shall keep a copy of the
report sent to the agency as part of the student's permanent record.
Sec. 37.358. REPORT. The agency shall collect and analyze
the information submitted by school districts under Section 37.357
and, not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, submit a
report to the members of the legislature summarizing the use of
restraint and time-out in public schools in the state.
Sec. 37.359. RETALIATION PROHIBITED. A school district may
not retaliate against a student, employee, or other person who in
good faith makes a complaint to the agency or another organization
regarding the use of restraint, seclusion, or time-out in a school.
Sec. 37.360. RULES. The commissioner shall adopt rules to
implement this subchapter.
SECTION 2. Section 12.104(b), Education Code, as amended by
Chapters 324 (S.B. 1488), 522 (S.B. 179), and 735 (S.B. 1153), Acts
of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017, is reenacted and
amended to read as follows:
(b) An open-enrollment charter school is subject to:
(1) a provision of this title establishing a criminal
offense; and
(2) a prohibition, restriction, or requirement, as
applicable, imposed by this title or a rule adopted under this
title, relating to:
(A) the Public Education Information Management
System (PEIMS) to the extent necessary to monitor compliance with
this subchapter as determined by the commissioner;
(B) criminal history records under Subchapter C,
Chapter 22;
(C) reading instruments and accelerated reading
instruction programs under Section 28.006;
(D) accelerated instruction under Section
28.0211;
(E) high school graduation requirements under
Section 28.025;
(F) special education programs under Subchapter
A, Chapter 29;
(G) bilingual education under Subchapter B,
Chapter 29;
(H) prekindergarten programs under Subchapter E
or E-1, Chapter 29;
(I) extracurricular activities under Section
33.081;
(J) discipline management practices or behavior
management techniques under Subchapter J, Chapter 37 [Section
37.0021];
(K) health and safety under Chapter 38;
(L) public school accountability under
Subchapters B, C, D, F, G, and J, Chapter 39, and Chapter 39A;
(M) the requirement under Section 21.006 to
report an educator's misconduct;
(N) intensive programs of instruction under
Section 28.0213;
(O) the right of a school employee to report a
crime, as provided by Section 37.148; [and]
(P) bullying prevention policies and procedures
under Section 37.0832;
(Q) the right of a school under Section 37.0052
to place a student who has engaged in certain bullying behavior in a
disciplinary alternative education program or to expel the student;
[and]
(R) the right under Section 37.0151 to report to
local law enforcement certain conduct constituting assault or
harassment; and
(S) [(P)] a parent's right to information
regarding the provision of assistance for learning difficulties to
the parent's child as provided by Sections 26.004(b)(11) and
26.0081(c) and (d).
SECTION 3. Section 22.0512(a), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) A professional employee of a school district may not be
subject to disciplinary proceedings for the employee's use of
physical force against a student to the extent justified under
Subchapter J, Chapter 37 [Section 9.62, Penal Code].
SECTION 4. Section 25.007(b), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) In recognition of the challenges faced by students who
are homeless or in substitute care, the agency shall assist the
transition of students who are homeless or in substitute care from
one school to another by:
(1) ensuring that school records for a student who is
homeless or in substitute care are transferred to the student's new
school not later than the 10th working day after the date the
student begins enrollment at the school;
(2) developing systems to ease transition of a student
who is homeless or in substitute care during the first two weeks of
enrollment at a new school;
(3) developing procedures for awarding credit,
including partial credit if appropriate, for course work, including
electives, completed by a student who is homeless or in substitute
care while enrolled at another school;
(4) developing procedures to ensure that a new school
relies on decisions made by the previous school regarding placement
in courses or educational programs of a student who is homeless or
in substitute care and places the student in comparable courses or
educational programs at the new school, if those courses or
programs are available;
(5) promoting practices that facilitate access by a
student who is homeless or in substitute care to extracurricular
programs, summer programs, credit transfer services, electronic
courses provided under Chapter 30A, and after-school tutoring
programs at nominal or no cost;
(6) establishing procedures to lessen the adverse
impact of the movement of a student who is homeless or in substitute
care to a new school;
(7) entering into a memorandum of understanding with
the Department of Family and Protective Services regarding the
exchange of information as appropriate to facilitate the transition
of students in substitute care from one school to another;
(8) encouraging school districts and open-enrollment
charter schools to provide services for a student who is homeless or
in substitute care in transition when applying for admission to
postsecondary study and when seeking sources of funding for
postsecondary study;
(9) requiring school districts, campuses, and
open-enrollment charter schools to accept a referral for special
education services made for a student who is homeless or in
substitute care by a school previously attended by the student, and
to provide comparable services to the student during the referral
process or until the new school develops an individualized
education program for the student;
(10) requiring school districts, campuses, and
open-enrollment charter schools to provide notice to the child's
educational decision-maker and caseworker regarding events that
may significantly impact the education of a child, including:
(A) requests or referrals for an evaluation under
Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794), or
special education under Section 29.003;
(B) admission, review, and dismissal committee
meetings;
(C) manifestation determination reviews required
by Section 37.004(b);
(D) any disciplinary actions under Chapter 37 for
which parental notice is required;
(E) citations issued for Class C misdemeanor
offenses on school property or at school-sponsored activities; and
(F) reports of restraint and time-out [and
seclusion] required by Subchapter J, Chapter 37 [Section 37.0021;
and
[(G) use of corporal punishment as provided by
Section 37.0011];
(11) developing procedures for allowing a student who
is homeless or in substitute care who was previously enrolled in a
course required for graduation the opportunity, to the extent
practicable, to complete the course, at no cost to the student,
before the beginning of the next school year;
(12) ensuring that a student who is homeless or in
substitute care who is not likely to receive a high school diploma
before the fifth school year following the student's enrollment in
grade nine, as determined by the district, has the student's course
credit accrual and personal graduation plan reviewed;
(13) ensuring that a student in substitute care who is
in grade 11 or 12 be provided information regarding tuition and fee
exemptions under Section 54.366 for dual-credit or other courses
provided by a public institution of higher education for which a
high school student may earn joint high school and college credit;
(14) designating at least one agency employee to act
as a liaison officer regarding educational issues related to
students in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and
Protective Services; and
(15) providing other assistance as identified by the
agency.
SECTION 5. Section 29.022(u), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(u) In this section:
(1) "Parent" includes a guardian or other person
standing in parental relation to a student.
(2) "School business day" means a day that campus or
school district administrative offices are open.
(3) "Self-contained classroom" does not include a
classroom that is a resource room instructional arrangement under
Section 42.151.
(4) "Staff member" means a teacher, related service
provider, paraprofessional, counselor, or educational aide
assigned to work in a self-contained classroom or other special
education setting.
(5) "Time-out" has the meaning assigned by Section
37.351 [37.0021].
SECTION 6. Section 29.454(a), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) The discipline of an alleged offender resident by a
school district is subject to Section [Sections 37.0021 and] 37.004
and Subchapter J, Chapter 37, and to federal law governing the
discipline of students with disabilities.
SECTION 7. The following provisions are repealed:
(1) Section 37.0011, Education Code;
(2) Section 37.0021, Education Code; and
(3) Section 9.62, Penal Code.
SECTION 8. As soon as practicable after the effective date
of this Act, the board of trustees of each school district and the
governing body of each open-enrollment charter school shall adopt a
policy as required by Section 37.356, Education Code, as added by
this Act.
SECTION 9. As soon as practicable after the effective date
of this Act, but not later than September 1, 2020, the commissioner
of education shall adopt rules as necessary to implement Section
37.355, Education Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 10. Notwithstanding Section 37.355, Education
Code, as added by this Act, a person authorized to use restraint or
time-out on a student must complete the training required by
Section 37.355, Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than
September 1, 2021.
SECTION 11. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails
over another Act of the 86th Legislature, Regular Session, 2019,
relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted
codes.
SECTION 12. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020
school year.
SECTION 13. 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, 2019.