With the passage of House Bill 121 mandating that each school district in Texas adopt and implement a dating violence policy, TCFV has been working with a statewide interagency group to develop model policies and collaborate with the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Association of School Boards for effective implementation of the new law.

These documents should be helpful to anyone working to address dating violence in schools.

At the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year, Texas superintendents received policy update materials from the Texas Association of School Boards, which included guidance on HB 121. Superintendents also received the Guide to Addressing Dating Violence in Texas Schools. School administrators received training on this topic at Texas Association of School Administrators’ Midwinter Conference in January, 2008. The Texas Association of School Boards also sent a revised Model Student Code of Conduct to its members. Changes relevant to the dating violence policy requirement are found on page 4 (in the middle of the page discussing prohibited behavior) and in the Glossary on page 40.

Compliance with HB121

Below are the 7 standards to ensure compliance with HB121. While there are many ways to come into compliance with this new legislation we do not recommend one single program or curriculum to serve this purpose. If you have questions regarding a program or curricula you are interested in, please contact the Prevention Team at info@tcfv.org.

  • Include a definition of dating violence in your dating violence policy
  • Address safety planning
  • Address enforcement of protective orders
  • Include school-based alternatives to protective orders
  • Address training for teachers and administrators
  • Address counseling for affected students
  • Include awareness education for students and parents.