(a) A school distric shall consider the following best practices for truancy prevention measures:

• (9) At the beginning of each school year, conduct a needs assessment and identify and list, or map, services and programs available within the school district and the community that a school, a student, or a student's parent or guardian may access to address the student's barriers to attendance and make the information available to staff, students, and parents. The information must include, but is not limited to:

• (A) services for pregnant and parenting students;

• (B) services for students experiencing homelessness;

• (C) services for students in foster care;

• (D) federal programs including, but not limited to, Title 1, Part A, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act;

• (E) state programs including, but not limited to, State Compensatory Education programs;

• (F) dropout prevention programs and programs for "at risk" youth;

• (G) programs that occur outside of school time;

• (H) counseling services;

• (I) tutoring programs and services available at no or low cost;

• (J) mental health services;

• (K) alcohol and substance abuse prevention and treatment programs;

• (L) mentoring programs and services;

• (M) juvenile justice services and programs;

• (N) child welfare services and programs;

• (O) other state or locally funded programs for truancy prevention and intervention; and

• (P) other supportive services that are locally available for students and families through faith-based organizations, local governments, and community-based organizations.

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.

(p-2) A school district may develop or adopt research-based programs and curriculum materials for use in conjunction with the program developed under Subsection (p). The programs and curriculum materials may provide instruction in: (1) child development; (2) parenting skills, including child abuse and neglect prevention; and (3) assertiveness skills to prevent teenage pregnancy, abusive relationships, and family violence. (p-3) The agency shall evaluate programs and curriculum materials developed under Subsection (p-2) and distribute to other school districts information regarding those programs and materials. [...] (s) In this subsection, “bullying” has the meaning assigned by Section 37.0832 and “harassment” has the meaning assigned by Section 37.001. In addition to any other essential knowledge and skills the State Board of Education adopts for the health curriculum under Subsection (a)(2)(B), the board shall adopt for the health curriculum, in consultation with the Texas School Safety Center, essential knowledge and skills that include evidence-based practices that will effectively address awareness, prevention, identification, self-defense in response to, and resolution of and intervention in bullying and harassment.

(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) In this section: (1) “Harmful, threatening, or violent behavior” includes behaviors, such as verbal threats, threats of self harm, bullying, cyberbullying, fighting, the use or possession of a weapon, sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, stalking, or assault, by a student that could result in: (A) specific interventions, including mental health or behavioral supports; (B) in-school suspension; (C) out-of-school suspension; or (D) the student’s expulsion or removal to a disciplinary alternative education program or a juvenile justice alternative education program. (2) “Team” means a threat assessment and safe and supportive school team established by the board of trustees of a school district under this section. (b) The agency, in coordination with the Texas School Safety Center, shall adopt rules to establish a safe and supportive school program. The rules shall incorporate research-based best practices for school safety, including providing for: (1) physical and psychological safety; (2) a multiphase and multihazard approach to prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery in a crisis situation; (3) a systemic and coordinated multitiered support system that addresses school climate, the social and emotional domain, and behavioral and mental health; and (4) multidisciplinary and multiagency collaboration to assess risks and threats in schools and provide appropriate interventions, including rules for the establishment and operation of teams. (c) The board of trustees of each school district shall establish a threat assessment and safe and supportive school team to serve at each campus of the district and shall adopt policies and procedures for the teams. The team is responsible for developing and implementing the safe and supportive school program under Subsection (b) at the district campus served by the team. The policies and procedures adopted under this section must: (1) be consistent with the model policies and procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center; (2) require each team to complete training provided by the Texas School Safety Center or a regional education service center regarding evidence-based threat assessment programs; and (3) require each team established under this section to report the information required under Subsection (k) regarding the team’s activities to the agency.