Texas Senate unanimously passes measure to protect state school residents

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03:40 PM CDT on Wednesday, March 11, 2009

By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News
eramshaw@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN – The Texas Senate unanimously approved an emergency measure to protect residents of state schools for the disabled from mistreatment, the same day state officials confirmed alleged abuse had been captured on cellphone cameras at Corpus Christi State School.

Corpus Christi police declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.

But Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman with the Health and Human Services Commission, said it involves "images and videos taken with cellphones," and could include "multiple employees on different dates." All employees who may have been involved have been suspended.

The measure the Senate passed on Monday would establish an independent ombudsman to perform audits and investigate injuries and deaths, and to oversee an abuse and neglect telephone hotline. The bill would also install security cameras across Texas’ 13 institutions for the disabled, and require fingerprinting, background checks and random drug testing of all state school employees.

"The abuse and neglect that has occurred in our state schools is inexcusable," said Sen. Jane Nelson, the Flower Mound Republican who authored the bill. "These are people with serious disabilities. They need our protection."

The bill is a response to growing concerns about the safety and conditions inside the state schools, highlighted in two years' worth ofDallas Morning News articles and a recent U.S. Department of Justice report on civil rights violations inside the facilities.

It does not address the debate in the advocacy community over whether to shutter some of the state schools in favor of more community-based care – an issue that is being tackled in another bill. Nor does the bill, which comes with a $15 million price tag, boost employee salaries or provide funding for training, a point of issue for some.

The Justice Department concerns "relate to staffing ratios, to training," said Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso. "What will we do this session on what are the core issues of a system that has been systematically starved for resources?"