Texas House approves measures to prevent abuse at state schools for disabled

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05:17 PM CDT on Monday, May 18, 2009

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

AUSTIN – Texas’ services for people with disabilities, beset by allegations of abuse and neglect, would face far greater scrutiny and security under a measure the House gave early approval to on Monday.

The bill, designed to prevent mistreatment in the state schools for the disabled, is a response to a U.S. Justice Department investigation that turned up widespread civil rights violations inside Texas’ 13 institutions. The version the House considered Monday expands the reforms to community group homes, private institutions and independent foster homes. It awaits a final vote before returning to the Senate.

“The state needs to be proactive in making sure that we take care of our state’s most vulnerable population,” said Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Corpus Christi. “This bill should be the beginning of the state finally meeting its legal, ethical and moral obligation.”

The measure, one of Gov. Rick Perry’s emergency priorities, calls for posting surveillance cameras in all state schools, and performing background checks, fingerprinting and random drug tests on all employees. It also creates a toll free abuse hotline and installs an ombudsman to oversee abuse allegations. The state school-specific bill passed the Senate.

The House version expands these changes to include community-based care. It requires annual inspections of group homes and ensures state officials investigate abuse allegations in private care facilities, not just state schools. It also calls for a review of all deaths in private care facilities and group homes.

Other details in the bill:

• It strengthens the role of the inspector general in investigating abuse and neglect allegations.

• It calls for the ombudsman to perform audits at individual state schools every other year.

• It increases staff training requirements.

• It changes the name of the state schools to “state supported living centers.”

• It sets aside a specific state institution for alleged criminal offenders who need heightened supervision.

“We’ve made it safer to be living in our state schools,” Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman said. “And we’ve made it safer to be living in our communities if you have cognitive disabilities.”