Advisory committee approves model school marshal duties document; will report to Texas Commission on Law Enforcement in June

An advisory committee working on a proposed school marshal program voted to approve a model knowledge, skills and abilities document and will present the document to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement at the commission's June meeting.

The document is intended to help psychological or psychiatric assessors determine whether an individual has the capacity to perform duties described for a school marshal, committee members said. Committee members emphasized the paper is an assessor tool and not itself a rule change; individual school districts or agencies could adopt or modify it as a local job description.

Committee members conducted a roll call at the start of the meeting and reviewed minutes from a prior meeting, which they approved by motion. After discussing the KSA document that staff had synthesized from prior committee notes, members raised a specific question about language that lists "respond to active attacks" as an example of duties. Committee members agreed that, as written, that entry is meant to assess a person's capacity to perform such duties rather than to mandate operational policy for any school or agency. One member described the document as something a psychological assessor would use, and other members said agency policy decisions about whether a marshal would be required to respond to an active attack would remain separate.

A committee liaison and staff said the committee had met the charge given to it and that the commissioners generally defer to practitioner committees. Staff noted the document is in a usable form and could be used now by agencies requesting evaluations, but commissioners who review it at the June meeting would have the option to accept, amend or otherwise change it.

Committee members voted to accept the KSA document; the chair announced "the ayes have it." The transcript does not record a roll-call vote tally or the names of a mover and seconder for the motion to approve the document. The committee also approved minutes from the prior meeting by voice vote. No public comments were recorded during the meeting.

Committee members and staff said the item will be presented to the commission at its June meeting, with staff or any available committee member reporting on the committee's work. Staff encouraged committee members to attend commission meetings in Austin or watch online; commission meetings were also announced for Amarillo in September and Nacogdoches in December.

Next steps are procedural: staff will include the approved KSA document in the commission packet for the June meeting. If commissioners choose to adopt the document, they may propose amendments at that time. The committee will remain available for follow-up work on the school marshal program and other projects identified by the commission.