School Safety Law Toolkit

86th Session Updates (2019)

The 86th Legislature made significant changes to, and created, many laws related to school safety. These changes are presented in two sections:

School Safety Bills of the 86th Legislature

This section details those bills enrolled by the 86th Legislature that have implications for school safety. The PDF document below is organized by bill. The topics listed under each bill are also included in the School Safety Law Topics section of this toolkit. Each entry includes a link to the bill and a link to the section of the code that the bill amended or added.

Download the Bills of the 86th Legislature Document

What and When: School Safety Laws of the 86th Legislature with Due Dates and Times

This section provides a list of what is new to the mandated school safety list and includes when you must have these items completed. Additionally, included at the end is a list of laws required of other agencies, not of districts, that districts should consider taking advantage of to assist them in improving their safety measures.

Download the What and When Document

Throughout these documents, links in gold will take you to another part of the document, and links in blue will open a browser window and take you to a webpage.

Legislative Guidance Video Series

The 86th session of the Texas Legislature enacted many changes to statutes in efforts to help improve safety and security in our schools. The Texas School Safety Center has created these videos to highlight the statutory changes for school safety to guide schools toward improving safety and security and to maintain an effective and nurturing learning environment. They provide information on each subject and outline expectations now and as more guidance is released. They include a posting date by month at the beginning of each video as we will continue to update the videos when more guidance on these topics is finalized, such as policies and procedures that are being developed in the coming months.

Download All Videos

  • Emergency Operations Plans

    Video Length | 13:54

    The intended audience for this video includes school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, community colleges, and school-based law enforcement.

    EOP Legislative Updates: Oct 2019
    Download SRP Guide for K-12
    Emergency Operations Plans Handout
    Full Legislative Mandate

  • School Safety Audits

    Video Length | 04:40

    The intended audience for this video includes school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, community colleges, and school-based law enforcement.

    Audits Legislative Updates: Oct 2019
    School Safety Audits Handout
    Full Legislative Mandate

  • Safety & Security Committees

    Video Length | 03:50

    The intended audience for this video includes school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and school-based law enforcement.

    Safety & Security Committee Handout
    Full Legislative Mandate

  • Threat Assessment

    Video Length | 07:19

    The intended audience for this video includes school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and school-based law enforcement.

    Data Collection Info from TEA: Sept 2020
    Threat Assessment Handout
    Full Legislative Mandate

  • Other Legislative Changes

    Video Length | 09:52

    The intended audience for this video includes school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and school-based law enforcement.

    Other Legislative Updates: Feb 2020
    Other Legislative Changes Handout
    Full Legislative Mandate

  • Charter Schools & Community Colleges

    Video Length | 02:22

    The intended audience for this video includes open-enrollment charter schools, community colleges, and school-based law enforcement.

    Charter Schools & Community Colleges Handout
    Full Legislative Mandate
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