The Texas Senate approved Wednesday a sweeping school safety bill in response to the Uvalde shooting nearly a year ago that aims to make sure that hundreds of Texas school districts without active-shooter plans get up to speed.
Senate Bill 11, filed by Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, would create a safety and security department within the Texas Education Agency and give it the authority to compel school districts to establish active-shooter protocols. Those that fail to meet the agency’s standards could be put under the state’s supervision.
The bill would also strengthen the state’s truancy laws, a provision that was included in the bill after state officials found that the gunman in the Uvalde shooting was chronically absent since sixth grade and dropped out of high school. Truancy is considered a red flag for school officials that a student might need a school counselor.
