What’s happening?
House Bill 4125—dubbed the “Providing Required Oversight To Educators’ Conduct Transparency Act” or PROTECT Act—was filed after KISD leaders visited Austin in early March and discussed the district’s legislative priorities for school safety with local lawmakers, KISD Police Chief Marlon Runnels said at the district’s March 10 board meeting.
“We offered [lawmakers] a solution to a significant communication gap we've identified that potentially put students in harm's way,” Runnels said.
The bill would require state, county and local law enforcement agencies to inform the chief of police or administrators at public school districts, charter schools and private schools when an employee is under investigation, charged with a crime, arrested or indicted, according to the filing on the Texas Legislature’s website. The bill would require notifications for offenses including:
- Assault, sexual assault and kidnapping against a minor or a current student
- Public indecency, which includes prostitution, obscenity and possession of child pornography against a minor or a current student
- Any felony crime against a student, regardless of the student’s age
KISD leaders advocated to create HB 4125 after identifying a communication breakdown between law enforcement and school districts when the district dealt with “an awful situation at one of our high schools” in the spring of 2024, Runnels said.
In April, former Klein Cain High School teacher Kedria Grigsby was arrested on charges of child trafficking and compelling prostitution of minors, as previously reported by Community Impact. Harris County Sheriff's Office investigators initially linked Grigsby to the case in November 2022, and she was arrested on the high school campus in April 2024.
“This proposed legislation is part of our efforts to bridge this critical gap and keep [KISD] safe and every school district in the state of Texas safe,” Runnels said.
Digging deeper
According to the online filing, HB 4125 also includes provisions that would require law enforcement to:
- Orally notify a chief of police or administrator of an investigation at the earlier of 24 hours after an investigation begins or before the next school day
- Give written notice of an investigation within seven days of the oral notice
- Inform educational institutions within two working days if charges against an employee are dropped or if a case is dismissed
- Provide annual compliance reports to the Texas Education Agency
Stay tuned
HB 4125 would go into effect on or before Sept. 1 if approved by the Texas Legislature.
“I encourage everyone, ... please lend your voice to how important it is that HB 4125 doesn't just stay a bill, but it actually becomes a law,” KISD Superintendent Jenny McGown said. “We have so many incredible people that serve in KISD every single day. None of those excellent, hard-working educators deserve to be painted with a brush of a bad actor, and so this is about taking this situation to the next level and ensuring it doesn't just happen here, but it doesn't happen anywhere in the state of Texas.”
