The agency, in coordination with the Health and Human Services Commission, shall establish and maintain an Internet website to provide resources for school district or open-enrollment charter school employees regarding working with students with mental health conditions or who engage in substance abuse. The agency must include on the Internet website information about: (1) grief-informed and trauma-informed practices; (2) building skills related to managing emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making; (3) positive behavior interventions and supports; and (4) a safe and supportive school climate.

(a) Each school district that offers kindergarten through grade 12 shall offer, as a required curriculum: (2) an enrichment curriculum that includes: (B) health, with emphasis on: (ii) mental health, including instruction about mental health conditions, substance abuse, skills to manage emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making.

(a)  A school district may provide a character education program. (b)  A character education program under this section must:

• (1)  stress positive character traits, such as:

• (A)  courage;

• (B)  trustworthiness, including honesty, reliability, punctuality, and loyalty;

• (C)  integrity;

• (D)  respect and courtesy;

• (E)  responsibility, including accountability, diligence, perseverance, and self-control;

• (F)  fairness, including justice and freedom from prejudice;

• (G)  caring, including kindness, empathy, compassion, consideration, patience, generosity, and charity;

• (H)  good citizenship, including patriotism, concern for the common good and the community, and respect for authority and the law; and

• (I)  school pride;

• (2)  use integrated teaching strategies; and

• (3)  be age appropriate.

(c)  In developing or selecting a character education program under this section, a school district shall consult with a committee selected by the district that consists of:

• (1)  parents of district students;

• (2)  educators; and

• (3)  other members of the community, including community leaders.

(d)  This section does not require or authorize proselytizing or indoctrinating concerning any specific religious or political belief.

(e)  The agency shall:

• (1)  maintain a list of character education programs that school districts have implemented that meet the criteria under Subsection (b);

• (2)  based on data reported by districts, annually designate as a Character Plus School each school that provides a character education program that:

• (A)  meets the criteria prescribed by Subsection (b); and

• (B)  is approved by the committee selected under Subsection (c); and

• (3)  include in the report required under Section 39.332:

• (A)  based on data reported by districts, the impact of character education programs on student discipline and academic achievement; and

• (B)  other reported data relating to character education programs the agency considers appropriate for inclusion.

(f)  The agency may accept money from federal government and private sources to use in assisting school districts in implementing character education programs that meet the criteria prescribed by Subsection (b).

(a) Each school district and open-enrollment charter school may develop and implement a program, in consultation with campus behavior coordinators employed by the district or school and representatives of a regional education service center, that provides a disciplinary alternative for a student enrolled in a grade level below grade three who engages in conduct described by Section 37.005(a) and is not subject to Section 37.005(c). The program must:

• (1) be age-appropriate and research-based;

• (2) provide models for positive behavior;

• (3) promote a positive school environment;

• (4) provide alternative disciplinary courses of action that do not rely on the use of in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, or placement in a disciplinary alternative education program to manage student behavior; and

• (5) provide behavior management strategies, including:

• (A) positive behavioral intervention and support;

• (B) trauma-informed practices;

• (C) social and emotional learning;

• (D) a referral for services, as necessary; and

• (E) restorative practices.

(b) Each school district and open-enrollment charter school may annually conduct training for staff employed by the district or school on the program adopted under Subsection (a).

(a) The agency shall make available to each school district one or more coordinated health programs in elementary school, middle school, and junior high school. Each program must provide for coordinating education and services related to: (2) mental health education, including education about mental health conditions, mental health well-being, skills to manage emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making.

(a) The agency, in coordination with the Health and Human Services Commission and regional education service centers, shall provide and annually update a list of recommended best practice-based programs and research-based practices in the areas specified under Subsection (c) for implementation in public elementary, junior high, middle, and high schools within the general education setting. (b) Each school district may select from the list provided under Subsection (a) a program or programs appropriate for implementation in the district. (c) The list provided under Subsection (a) must include programs and practices in the following areas: (2) building skills related to managing emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making.