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HB 3312

AN ACT relating to the preservation and release of video surveillance

House Bill
Filed

Filed

Bill introduced by legislator

Committee

Hearing

Passed Cmte

Calendar

Passed

Sent

Enrolled

Governor

Signed

89th Regular Session

Jan 14, 2025 - Jun 2, 2025 • Session ended

Awaiting Committee Assignment

Bill filed, pending referral to House committee

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What This Bill Does

Extends the required retention period for video surveillance recordings in special education settings from 3 to 12 months, with a critical provision that recordings related to any reported incident must be preserved until the incident is fully resolved. The bill allows employees involved in an alleged incident, parents of students involved, certain state personnel, law enforcement, school administrators, and attorneys to request and view these recordings, ensuring transparency and accountability in special education environments. The legislation aims to protect the rights of students and staff by maintaining comprehensive video evidence and facilitating appropriate access for investigations and legal purposes.

Subject Areas

Bill Text

relating to the preservation and release of video surveillance
recordings of special education settings.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1.  Section 29.022, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (e) and (i) and adding Subsections (e-2) and
(e)  Except as provided by Subsections [Subsection] (e-1)
and (e-2), a school district or open-enrollment charter school
shall retain video recorded from a video camera placed under this
section for at least 12 [three] months after the date the video was
(e-2)  A school district or open-enrollment charter school
shall retain all available video recordings of an employee who is
involved in an alleged incident that has been reported to the
district or school, regardless of whether the recording documents
the incident, until the incident has been resolved, including the
(i)  A video recording of a student made according to this
section is confidential and may not be released or viewed except as
provided by this subsection or Subsection (i-1), (i-2), or (j).  A
school district or open-enrollment charter school shall release a
(1)  an employee who is involved in an alleged incident
that is documented by the recording and has been reported to the
district or school, on request of the employee;
(2)  a parent of a student who is involved in an alleged
incident that is documented by the recording and has been reported
to the district or school, on request of the parent;
(3)  appropriate Department of Family and Protective
Services personnel as part of an investigation under Section
(4)  a peace officer, a school nurse, a district or
school administrator trained in de-escalation and restraint
techniques as provided by commissioner rule, or a human resources
staff member designated by the board of trustees of the school
district or the governing body of the open-enrollment charter
school in response to a report of an alleged incident or an
investigation of district or school personnel or a report of
alleged abuse committed by a student; or
(5)  appropriate agency or State Board for Educator
Certification personnel or agents as part of an investigation.
(i-2)  A school district or open-enrollment charter school
may not limit the number of times an employee or a parent of a
student who is involved in an alleged incident may view a recording
that documents the incident.  The district or school must release a
recording that documents an alleged incident for viewing by the
attorney of an employee or a parent of a student who is involved in
the incident not later than one week after receiving a request from
the attorney to view the recording.
SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

Bill History

filed

Bill filed: AN ACT relating to the preservation and release of video surveillance