Education
BY EMILY LINCKE
A state bill authored by Rep. Sam Harless, R-Spring, and led March 10 would require law enforcement to notify school districts when employees are being investigated. House Bill 4125 would compel law enforcement agencies to inform o cials at public school districts, charter schools and private schools when an employee is being investigated, charged with a crime, arrested or indicted, the Legislature’s website states. “We o ered [lawmakers] a solution to a signi cant communication gap we’ve identi ed that potentially put students in harm’s way,” Klein ISD Police Chief Marlon Runnels said at a district meeting March 10. The bill would require noti cations for o enses including: • Assault, sexual assault and prostitution against a minor or a current student • Any felony crime against a student Klein ISD helps craft new bill THE FLOW OF COMMUNICATION If HB 4125 is passed, when a school employee is charged, arrested or indicted, law enforcement would be required to: Orally notify an ISD’s police chief or administrator within 24 Give written notice to educational institution within Provide annual compliance reports to the Texas Education Agency
Stay tuned
The context
HB 4125 is also called the “Providing Required Oversight To Educators’ Conduct Transparency Act” or PROTECT Act, Runnels said. The bill was led after KISD leaders visited Austin in early March and discussed the district’s legislative priorities for school safety with local lawmakers. The bill has multiple steps to reach before it is considered by lawmakers during the 89th legislative session.
Last April, former Klein Cain High School teacher Kedria Grigsby was arrested on charges of child tra cking and compelling prostitution of minors, as previously reported by Community Impact . • November 2022: HCSO investigators initially linked Grigsby to the case, according to an April 9 search warrant authorizing the seizure of Grigsby’s phone. • February 2023: KISD o cials were informed that Grigsby was possibly recruiting young girls from the school to work with her. After reaching out to the sheri ’s o ce, KISD o cials said the HCSO told them that Grigsby was not a suspect in the case. • March 2023: HCSO o cials received a completed forensic report detailing the phone activities of a separate individual involved in the case. • March 2024: HCSO o cials completed their review of the forensic report, according to the search warrant. • April 2024: After nding su cient evidence linking Grigsby to the alleged criminal activity, HSCO o cials arrested Grigsby at Klein Cain High School with the assistance of district police. “Last year, we did see rsthand how a com- munication gap in interagency communication put students at risk,” KISD Superintendent Jenny McGown said. “So Chief [Runnels] and I, as fellow KISD parents, promised we would do everything in our power to make sure that that never happened again in our own backyard or any other school district in the state of Texas.”
Approval timeline for House Bill 4125
March 10 Rep. Sam Harless, R-Spring, les HB 4125 June 2 The Texas Legislature’s 89th session holds its last scheduled day of session Sept. 1 HB 4125 goes into e ect, if approved by the Texas Legislature
SOURCES: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE, LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE LIBRARY OF TEXAS, TEXAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL COMMUNITY IMPACT
“Please lend your voice to how important it is that HB 4125 doesn’t just stay a bill, but it actually becomes a law.”
hours or the next school day
seven days of the oral notice
JENNY MCGOWN, KLEIN ISD SUPERINTENDENT
SOURCES: KLEIN ISD, TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE COMMUNITY IMPACT
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