In the first legislative session after the deadly mass shooting at Santa Fe High School, the Texas Senate nearly unanimously approved a sweeping school safety bill Monday aimed at preventing — or at least mitigating — another mass tragedy.
Senate Bill 11 attempts to strengthen mental health initiatives in Texas schools, ensure school districts’ employees — including substitute teachers — are equipped to respond to emergencies by requiring they have classroom access to a telephone and other electronic communication, and establish threat assessment teams to help identify potentially dangerous students and determine the best ways to intervene before they become violent.
The bill’s author, state Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, said his bill also requires school districts to appoint school safety committees that meet once a semester to provide their boards of trustees with recommendations for updates to their districts’ multihazard emergency operations plans.
