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TITLE 19EDUCATION
PART 2TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
CHAPTER 61SCHOOL DISTRICTS
SUBCHAPTER CCCOMMISSIONER'S RULES CONCERNING SCHOOL FACILITIES
RULE §61.1031School Safety Requirements

(a) Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings.

  (1) Actively monitored--supervised by an adult who can visibly review visitors prior to entrance, who can take immediate action to close and/or lock the door, and whose duties allow for sufficient attention to monitoring.

  (2) Exterior secured area--an area fully enclosed by a fence and/or wall that:

    (A) is utilized when keeping doors closed, locked, and latched is not operationally practicable;

    (B) if enclosed by a fence or wall, utilizes a fence or wall at least 6 feet high with design features that prevent it from being easily scalable, such as stone, wrought iron, chain link with slats or wind screen, or chain link topped with an anti-scaling device, or utilizes a fence or wall at least 8 feet high;

    (C) is well maintained; and

    (D) if gated, features locked gates with emergency egress hardware and has features to prevent opening from the exterior without a key or combination mechanism.

  (3) Instructional facility--this term has the meaning assigned in Texas Education Code (TEC), §46.001, and includes any real property, an improvement to real property, or a necessary fixture of an improvement to real property that is used predominantly for teaching curriculum under TEC, §28.002. For purposes of this section, an instructional facility does not include real property, improvements to real property, or necessary fixtures of an improvement to real property that are part of a federal, state, or private correctional facility or facility of an institution of higher education, medical provider, or other provider of professional or social services over which a school system has no control.

  (4) Modular, portable building--

    (A) an industrialized building as defined by Texas Occupations Code (TOC), §1202.002 and §1202.003;

    (B) any relocatable educational facility as defined by TOC, §1202.004, regardless of the location of construction of the facility; or

    (C) any other manufactured or site-built building that is capable of being relocated and is used as a school facility.

  (5) Primary entrance--

    (A) the main entrance to an instructional facility that is closest to or directly connected to the reception area; or

    (B) any exterior door the school system intends to allow visitors to use to enter the facility during school hours either through policy or practice.

  (6) School system--a public independent school district or public open-enrollment charter school.

  (7) Secure vestibule--a secured space with two or more sets of doors and an office sign-in area where all but the exterior doors shall:

    (A) remain closed, latched, and locked;

    (B) comply with subsection (c)(3)(B) of this section; and

    (C) only unlock once the visitor has been visually verified.

(b) The provisions of this section apply to all school instructional facilities owned, operated, or leased by a school system, regardless of the date of construction or date of lease. The provisions of this section ensure that all school system instructional facilities have access points that are:

  (1) secured by design;

  (2) maintained to operate as intended; and

  (3) appropriately monitored.

(c) A school system shall implement the following safety and security standards compliance requirements to all school instructional facilities owned, operated, or leased by the school system.

  (1) All instructional facilities, including modular, portable buildings, must include the addition of graphically represented alpha-numerical characters on both the interior and exterior of each exterior door location. The characters may be installed on the door, or on at least one door at locations where more than one door leads from the exterior to the same room inside the facility, or on the wall immediately adjacent to or above the door location. Characters shall comply with the International Fire Code, §505, which requires numbers to be a minimum of four inches in height. The primary entrance of an instructional facility shall always be the first in the entire sequence and is the only door location that does not require numbering. The numbering sequence shall be clockwise and may be sequenced for the entire campus or for each facility individually. The door-numbering process must comply with any and all accessibility requirements related to signage.

  (2) Unless a secure vestibule is present, a primary entrance shall:

    (A) meet all standards for exterior doors;

    (B) include a means to allow an individual located within the building to visually identify an individual seeking to enter the primary entrance when the entrance is closed and locked, including, but not limited to, windows, camera systems, and/or intercoms;

    (C) feature a physical barrier that prevents unassisted access to the facility by a visitor; and

    (D) feature a location for a visitor check-in and check-out process.

  (3) All exterior doors shall:

    (A) be set to a closed, latched, and locked status, except that:

      (i) a door may be unlocked if it is actively monitored or within an exterior secured area; and

      (ii) for the purposes of ventilation, a school system may designate in writing as part of its multi-hazard emergency operations plan under TEC, §37.108, specific exterior doors that are allowed to remain open for specified periods of time if explicitly authorized by the school safety and security committee established by TEC, §37.109, when a quorum of members are present, and only if it is actively monitored or within an exterior secured area;

    (B) be constructed, both for the door and door frame and their components, of materials and in a manner that make them resistant to entry by intruders. Unless inside an exterior secured area, doors constructed of glass or containing glass shall be constructed or modified such that the glass cannot be easily broken and allow an intruder to open or otherwise enter through the door (for example, using forced entry-resistant film);

    (C) include:

      (i) a mechanism that fully closes and engages locking hardware automatically after entry or egress without manual intervention, regardless of air pressure within or outside of the facility; and

      (ii) a mechanism that allows the door to be opened from the inside when locked to allow for emergency egress while remaining locked; and

    (D) if keyed for re-entry, be capable of being unlocked with a single (or a small set of) master key(s), whether physical key, punch code, or key-fob or similar electronic device.

  (4) Except when inside an exterior secured area, classrooms with exterior entry doors shall include a means to allow an individual located in the classroom to visually identify an individual seeking to enter the classroom when the door is closed and locked, including, but not limited to, windows, camera systems, and/or intercoms.

  (5) Except when inside an exterior secured area, all windows that are adjacent to an exterior door and that are of a size and position that, if broken, would easily permit an individual to reach in and open the door from the inside shall be constructed or modified such that the glass cannot be easily broken.

  (6) Except when inside an exterior secured area, all ground-level windows near exterior doors that are of a size and position that permits entry from the exterior if broken shall be constructed or modified such that the glass cannot be easily broken and allow an intruder to enter through the window frame (for example, using forced entry-resistant film).

  (7) If designed to be opened, all ground-level windows shall have functional locking mechanisms that allow for the windows to be locked from the inside and, if large enough for an individual to enter when opened or if adjacent to a door, be closed and locked when staff are not present.

  (8) Roof access doors should remain closed, latched, and locked when not actively in use.

  (9) All facilities must:

    (A) include one or more distinctive, exterior secure master key box(es) designed to permit emergency access to both law enforcement agencies and emergency responder agencies from the exterior (for example, a Knox box) at a location designated by the local authorities with applicable jurisdiction; or

    (B) provide all local law enforcement electronic or physical master key access to the building(s).

  (10) A communications infrastructure shall be implemented that must:

    (A) ensure equipment is in place such that law enforcement and emergency responder two-way radios can function within most portions of the building(s); and

Cont'd...

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