SB57

Regular Session

Relating to provisions and plans by public schools to ensure the safety of individuals with disabilities or impairments during a mandatory school drill or a disaster or emergency situation.

CriticalImmediate action required

Low Cost

Effective:2025-09-01

Enforcing Agencies

Texas Education Agency (TEA) • Texas School Safety Center

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

Effective Date: September 1, 2025
Compliance Deadline: September 1, 2025 (Committee composition and Substitute Teacher access policies must be active).
Agency Rulemaking: The Commissioner of Education (TEA) has until June 1, 2026, to adopt specific rules regarding student accommodations and MEOP documentation guidelines.
*Regulatory Gray Zone:* From Sept 1, 2025, to June 1, 2026, districts must operate under a "good faith" interpretation of the statute while awaiting final TEA technical standards.

Immediate Action Plan

1. Appoint Special Ed Administrator: Formalize this appointment to the School Safety and Security Committee before the first Fall 2025 meeting.
2. Audit Substitute Access: Test your physical key and digital badge distribution process for substitutes. If a sub cannot open a classroom door or view the digital safety map today, you are non-compliant.
3. Inventory IEPs: Direct the Special Education Director to review all active IEPs/504 plans to extract safety-specific data for the MEOP update.
4. Update MEOP Text: Draft the "Chain of Command" and "Substitute Access Policy" sections immediately; do not wait for the 2026 TEA rules for these specific sections.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

Staffing Agencies: Master Service Agreements with third-party agencies providing substitute teachers must be amended. You must include provisions ensuring substitutes are contractually authorized and trained to receive the physical keys and digital access badges required by the new law.
Superintendent Agreements: Ensure the Superintendent’s job description and contract explicitly reference the duty to designate the "Chain of Command" and succession list for disaster scenarios as required by Section 1.

Hiring/Training

Committee Appointments: You must immediately appoint an administrator of special education to the School Safety and Security Committee.
Drill Execution: Training protocols must change from standardized drills to individualized drills. Staff must practice the specific accommodations listed in student IEPs/504 plans during simulated emergencies.
Substitute Onboarding: Operational workflows must be adjusted to ensure every substitute teacher receives physical keys and digital access to emergency maps/apps upon arrival.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

MEOP Updates: The Multihazard Emergency Operations Plan must be updated to include:
1. A defined Chain of Command and succession list.
2. Specific policies for substitute teacher access.
3. Provisions for disability accommodations (physical and psychological).
4. A registry of Safety Committee members and meeting dates from the preceding year.
Meeting Minutes: Safety Committee minutes must reflect that all discussions regarding specific student IEPs or 504 safety plans occurred in Executive Session to comply with new privacy mandates.

Fees & Costs

Budget Impact: Low direct fiscal cost.
Operational Cost: Internal resources must be reallocated to conduct a safety-specific audit of all active IEPs and 504 plans.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

"Psychological Safety": The statute requires provisions for "psychological safety," but fails to define the term. We anticipate the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) will issue a rubric. Until then, document counseling protocols heavily to avoid liability.
"Equal Access": The Commissioner’s 2026 rules will likely define staff-to-student ratios for evacuating non-ambulatory students. Current plans may be understaffed regarding physical evacuation support.
Documentation Granularity: The law requires documenting accommodations in the MEOP without violating FERPA. The TEA is expected to release a standardized template or form by June 2026 to bridge this privacy gap.

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Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

TopicsDisabilities, Persons With Disaster Preparedness & Relief Education Education--primary & Secondary Education--primary & Secondary--general Education--school Districts Minors Minors--health & Safety Education Agency, Texas Education--primary & Secondary--special Education, Commissioner of

Official Analysis

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BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 57
89R2751 MEW-D	By: Zaffirini
	Education K-16
	1/23/2025
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Current law requires Texas schools to implement general emergency operations plans, but it does not mandate specific accommodations for students with disabilities during drills and emergencies, putting these students at increased risk. S.B. 57 would address this gap by requiring school districts to include necessary accommodations for students with disabilities in their individualized education programs (IEPs) or Section 504 plans and by directing the Texas Education Agency to establish related guidelines for public schools' emergency plans. This change would ensure that the unique needs of students with disabilities are systematically addressed during emergencies, enhancing their safety and well-being.

As proposed, S.B. 57 amends current law relating to provisions and plans by public schools to ensure the safety of individuals with disabilities or impairments during a mandatory school drill or a disaster or emergency situation.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter A, Chapter 29, Education Code, by adding Section 29.0052, as follows:

Sec. 29.0052. INCLUSION OF ACCOMMODATIONS DURING MANDATORY SCHOOL DRILLS IN INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM OR SECTION 504 PLAN. (a) Defines "committee," "Section 504 plan," and "team."

(b) Requires a student's committee or team, as applicable, in developing or modifying an individualized education program or a Section 504 plan for the student, to consider whether the student's disabilities or impairments would require the school district to provide any specific accommodations for the student during a mandatory school drill required under Section 37.114 (Best Practices for Emergency School Drills and Exercises; Mandatory School Drills). Requires the student's committee or team, if the committee or team determines that the student would require a specific accommodation, to:

(1) identify each disability or impairment that requires accommodation; and

(2) for each disability or impairment identified under Subdivision (1), recommend specific accommodations for that disability or impairment.

(c) Requires the committee or team, in making considerations and recommendations under Subsection (b), to follow the guidelines established by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) under Section 37.1086.

(d) Requires a student's committee or team to provide to each administrator with emergency planning responsibilities at the school district and campus at which the student is enrolled the information described by Subsections (b)(1) and (2).

(e) Authorizes a committee or team to invite school district and campus administrators with emergency planning responsibilities to assist the committee or team in making the considerations and recommendations described by Subsection (b).

SECTION 2. Amends Section 37.108(f), Education Code, as follows:

(f) Requires a school district to include in its multihazard emergency operations plan certain provisions, including provisions for ensuring that students and district personnel with disabilities are provided equal access to safety during a disaster or emergency situation based on the guidelines established by TEA under Section 37.1086.

SECTION 3. Amends Section 37.1086, Education Code, as follows:

Sec. 37.1086. New heading: GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL DRILL ACCOMMODATIONS AND MULTIHAZARD EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN PROVISIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES OR IMPAIRMENTS. (a) Requires TEA to establish guidelines for the considerations and recommendations required under Section 29.0052 regarding accommodations for a student with an individualized education program or a plan created under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794). Makes nonsubstantive changes.

(b) Requires TEA, in establishing guidelines under Subsection (a), to consult with certain entities, including public school educators and administrators who work with students with disabilities or impairments. Makes a nonsubstantive change.

SECTION 4. Requires TEA, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act but not later than December 1, 2025, to establish the guidelines required by Section 37.1086, Education Code, as amended by this Act.

SECTION 5. Provides that Section 29.0052, Education Code, as added by this Act, applies beginning with the 2026�2027 school year.

SECTION 6. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2025.

Senate Authors

Sen. Judith ZaffiriniDemocrat · Primary Author

Coauthors (1)

Donna Campbell (R)

House Sponsor

Rep. Mary GonzalezDemocrat · Primary Sponsor

Bill Text(with markup)

S.B. No. 57

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

	AN ACT
	relating to provisions and plans by public schools to ensure the
	safety of individuals with disabilities or impairments during a
	mandatory school drill or a disaster or emergency situation.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. Section 37.108(f), Education Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	(f) A school district shall include in its multihazard
	emergency operations plan:
	(1) a chain of command that designates the individual
	responsible for making final decisions during a disaster or
	emergency situation and identifies other individuals responsible
	for making those decisions if the designated person is unavailable;
	(2) provisions that address physical and
	psychological safety for responding to a natural disaster, active
	shooter, and any other dangerous scenario identified for purposes
	of this section by the agency or the Texas School Safety Center;
	(3) provisions for ensuring the safety of students in
	portable buildings;
	(4) provisions for ensuring that students and district
	personnel with disabilities are provided equal access to safety
	during a disaster or emergency situation based on the
	recommendations and guidelines established by the commissioner
	under Section 37.1086;
	(5) provisions for providing immediate notification
	to parents, guardians, and other persons standing in parental
	relation in circumstances involving a significant threat to the
	health or safety of students, including identification of the
	individual with responsibility for overseeing the notification;
	(6) provisions for supporting the psychological
	safety of students, district personnel, and the community during
	the response and recovery phase following a disaster or emergency
	situation that:
	(A) are aligned with best practice-based
	programs and research-based practices recommended under Section
	38.351;
	(B) include strategies for ensuring any required
	professional development training for suicide prevention and
	grief-informed and trauma-informed care is provided to appropriate
	school personnel;
	(C) include training on integrating
	psychological safety and suicide prevention strategies into the
	district's plan, such as psychological first aid for schools
	training, from an approved list of recommended training established
	by the commissioner and Texas School Safety Center for:
	(i) members of the district's school safety
	and security committee under Section 37.109;
	(ii) district school counselors and mental
	health professionals; and
	(iii) educators and other district
	personnel as determined by the district;
	(D) include strategies and procedures for
	integrating and supporting physical and psychological safety that
	align with the provisions described by Subdivision (2); and
	(E) implement trauma-informed policies;
	(7) a policy for providing a substitute teacher access
	to school campus buildings and materials necessary for the
	substitute teacher to carry out the duties of a district employee
	during an emergency or a mandatory emergency drill;
	(8) the name of each individual on the district's
	school safety and security committee established under Section
	37.109 and the date of each committee meeting during the preceding
	year; and
	(9) certification that the district is in compliance
	with Section 37.117.
	SECTION 2. Section 37.1086, Education Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 37.1086. RECOMMENDATIONS AND GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL
	DRILL ACCOMMODATIONS AND MULTIHAZARD EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN
	PROVISIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES OR IMPAIRMENTS. (a)
	The commissioner by rule [~~agency~~] shall establish:
	(1) recommendations regarding accommodations for a
	student with an individualized education program or a plan created
	under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section
	794) during a mandatory school drill required under Section 37.114;
	and
	(2) guidelines for:
	(A) the documentation of accommodations for a
	student described by Subdivision (1) in the provisions in a school
	district's multihazard emergency operations plan under Section
	37.108(f)(4) to ensure the safety of students and district
	personnel with disabilities or impairments during a mandatory
	school drill required under Section 37.114 or a disaster or
	emergency situation;
	(B) required communications between campus
	administrators and staff regarding the accommodations described by
	Paragraph (A); and
	(C) required communications between campus
	administrators and the school district's school safety and security
	committee established under Section 37.109 regarding students or
	district personnel with disabilities or impairments for purposes of
	providing recommendations for updating the district's multihazard
	emergency operations plan required by Section 37.108(a).
	(b) In establishing recommendations and guidelines under
	Subsection (a), the commissioner shall consult[~~, in consultation~~]
	with:
	(1) the Texas School Safety Center;
	(2) regional education service centers;
	(3) public school educators and administrators who
	work with students with disabilities or impairments; and
	(4) advocacy groups representing individuals with
	disabilities or impairments.
	(c) [~~(b)~~] A school district must follow the guidelines
	established by the commissioner [~~agency~~] under Subsection (a)(2)
	[~~(a)~~] in adopting and implementing the district's multihazard
	emergency operations plan under Section 37.108.
	SECTION 3. Sections 37.109(a-1), (b), (c), and (d),
	Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
	(a-1) The committee, to the greatest extent practicable,
	must include:
	(1) one or more representatives of an office of
	emergency management of a county or city in which the district is
	located;
	(2) one or more representatives of the local police
	department or sheriff's office;
	(3) one or more representatives of the district's
	police department, if applicable;
	(4) the president of the district's board of trustees;
	(5) a member of the district's board of trustees other
	than the president;
	(6) the district's superintendent;
	(7) two [~~one~~] or more designees of the district's
	superintendent, one of whom must be a classroom teacher in the
	district and one of whom must be an administrator of special
	education in the district;
	(8) if the district partners with an open-enrollment
	charter school to provide instruction to students, a member of the
	open-enrollment charter school's governing body or a designee of
	the governing body; and
	(9) two parents or guardians of students enrolled in
	the district.
	(b) The committee shall:
	(1) participate on behalf of the district in
	developing and implementing emergency plans consistent with the
	district multihazard emergency operations plan required by Section
	37.108(a) to ensure that the plans reflect specific campus,
	facility, or support services needs, including recommended
	accommodations for a student with an individualized education
	program or a plan created under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of
	1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794);
	(2) periodically provide recommendations to the
	district's board of trustees and district administrators regarding
	updating the district multihazard emergency operations plan
	required by Section 37.108(a) in accordance with best practices
	identified by the agency, the Texas School Safety Center, or a
	person included in the registry established by the Texas School
	Safety Center under Section 37.2091;
	(3) provide the district with any campus, facility, or
	support services information required in connection with a safety
	and security audit required by Section 37.108(b), a safety and
	security audit report required by Section 37.108(c), or another
	report required to be submitted by the district to the Texas School
	Safety Center;
	(4) review each report required to be submitted by the
	district to the Texas School Safety Center to ensure that the report
	contains accurate and complete information regarding each campus,
	facility, or support service in accordance with criteria
	established by the center; and
	(5) consult with local law enforcement agencies on
	methods to increase law enforcement presence near district
	campuses.
	(c) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, the
	committee shall meet at least once during each academic semester
	and at least once during the summer and as necessary to provide
	recommendations, based on communications with campus
	administrators described by Section 37.1086(a)(2)(C), for updating
	the district multihazard emergency operations plan required by
	Section 37.108(a) to include recommended accommodations for a
	student with an individualized education program or a plan created
	under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section
	794). A committee established by a school district that operates
	schools on a year-round system or in accordance with another
	alternative schedule shall meet at least three times during each
	calendar year, with an interval of at least two months between each
	meeting.
	(d) The committee is subject to Chapter 551, Government
	Code. The committee shall meet in executive session when
	discussing information regarding a student's individualized
	education program or a plan created under Section 504,
	Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794) for a student[,]
	and may otherwise meet in executive session as provided by Chapter
	551, Government Code [~~that chapter~~]. Notice of a committee meeting
	must be posted in the same manner as notice of a meeting of the
	district's board of trustees.
	SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date
	of this Act but not later than June 1, 2026, the commissioner of
	education shall adopt rules establishing the recommendations and
	guidelines required by Section 37.1086, Education Code, as amended
	by this Act.
	SECTION 5. 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, 2025.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


March 10, 2025

TO:	Honorable Brandon Creighton, Chair, Senate Committee on Education K-16

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	SB57 by Zaffirini (Relating to provisions and plans by public schools to ensure the safety of individuals with disabilities or impairments during a mandatory school drill or a disaster or emergency situation.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

It is assumed that any costs associated with the bill could be absorbed using existing resources.

Local Government Impact

The bill may require local education agencies to reevaluate existing accommodations and determine current safety gaps and needs.

Source Agencies:

701 Texas Education Agency, 758 Texas State University System

LBB Staff:

JMc, NC, SL

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SB57

What does Texas SB57 do?

SB57 mandates that all Texas public school districts immediately restructure their School Safety and Security Committees and overhaul their Multihazard Emergency Operations Plans (MEOP) to explicitly address the safety of individuals with disabilities. This legislation converts prior best practices into statutory requirements, creating strict liability for failure to provide equal access to safety during emergencies and drills. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: September 1, 2025 Compliance Deadline: September 1, 2025 (Committee composition and Substitute Teacher access policies must be active).

Who authored SB57?

SB57 was authored by Texas Senator Judith Zaffirini during the Regular Session.

When was SB57 signed into law?

SB57 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Which agencies enforce SB57?

SB57 is enforced by Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Texas School Safety Center.

How urgent is compliance with SB57?

The compliance urgency for SB57 is rated as "critical". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

What is the cost impact of SB57?

The cost impact of SB57 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

What topics does SB57 address?

SB57 addresses topics including disabilities, persons with, disaster preparedness & relief, education, education--primary & secondary and education--primary & secondary--general.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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