New Bills Will Affect Campus Security at Baylor and Other Schools

A campus carry bill and a police transparency bill were recently passed by the Legislature

• By Matt Holden
• Jun 19, 2015

Two recent bills signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbot may have implications for Texas universities, according to a report. Law SB 308 requires police at private institutions to abide by state public information rules all police departments must follow in releasing records relate to law enforcement activities.

The governor has also pledged to give his signature to SB 11, a campus carry bill that allows concealed handgun license holders to carry their weapons in campus facilities at public colleges and universities, but private institutions may opt out of the measure. Some last-minute amendments were added, allowing colleges to declare gun-free zones on campus and ban concealed weapons at sporting events.

Community colleges have until August 2017 to comply with the legislation, allowing the colleges to adopt policies for maintaining safety in the event that a number of students decide to carry weapons.

“We want to be fair, we want to follow the law,” said McLennan Community College President Johnette McKown. “We would’ve chosen and preferred not to have something else like this to deal with . . . but if that’s the law, that’s what we’re going to do and we’re just going to do a thorough job of reviewing this and making good decisions (for the campus).”