Texas Register, Volume 42, Number 20, Pages 2609-2780, May 19, 2017 Page: 2,675
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New 344.622 modifies and republishes certain information cur-
rently found in 344.620. The new section lists the topics that
are covered in the certification exam for juvenile supervision of-
ficers. Youth activities supervisors are no longer included in the
requirements of this section. Changes in the new section include
clarifying that successful completion of the certification exam is
required before a juvenile supervision officer may count in any
staff-to-juvenile ratio. Additional changes in the new section in-
clude making several changes to the list of required topics, in-
cluding: 1) adding trauma-informed care as a topic; 2) adding
cultural competency as a topic; 3) clarifying that prevention is
included in the topic that addresses identifying and reporting
abuse, neglect, and exploitation; 4) clarifying that the topic cov-
ering the Prison Rape Elimination Act focuses on the purpose
and goals of the Act; and 5) changing "adolescent physical de-
velopment and exercise related health risks" to "adolescent de-
velopment and behavior."
New 344.624 modifies and republishes certain information cur-
rently found in 344.620. The new section lists the topics not
covered on the certification exam that are required for initial cer-
tification as a juvenile supervision officer. Changes in the new
section include: 1) removing the reference to youth activities su-
pervisors; 2) adding verbal de-escalation policies, procedures,
and practices as a topic; 3) adding resident-initiated separation
as a topic; 4) adding searches of juveniles as a topic; 5) clari-
fying that the topic addressing behavior management must also
include the juvenile discipline plan and safety-based seclusion;
6) clarifying that the topic addressing use of restraints must also
cover TJJD's standards on restraints, including prohibited tech-
niques and criteria for use; 7) clarifying that the topic addressing
department-specific policies for reporting abuse, neglect, and
exploitation must also include prevention and identification; 8)
removing supervision of residents in seclusion as a stand-alone
topic; 9) combining the topic covering resident supervision with
the topic covering juvenile behavior observation and documen-
tation; 10) removing risk management from the topic address-
ing facility safety and security; 11) removing cultural diversity as
a topic (cultural competency is now included in 344.622 as a
mandatory exam topic); 12) clarifying that the topic addressing
fire drill procedures must also include the fire safety plan; 13)
clarifying that the topic addressing emergency and evacuation
procedures relates to non-fire emergencies; 14) removing de-
partmental security from the topic addressing emergency and
evacuation procedures; and 15) clarifying that the topic address-
ing medical and health services relates to referral of residents in
need of medical, mental health, or dental services, as identified
by staff or reported by residents.
New 344.626 lists the training topics that must be received for
an individual to obtain initial certification as a community activi-
ties officer.
New 344.630 modifies and republishes information currently
found in 344.630. The new section lists the requirements that
on-the-job training (OJT) must meet in order to be eligible for
credit toward certification or renewal of certification. Changes in
the new section include: 1) adding that no more than 20 hours
of OJT may be counted toward initial certification or renewal of
certification for community activities officers; 2) adding a list of
specific elements that must be included in the documentation of
an OJT program in order for the training to count toward certifi-
cation; 3) removing the requirement for departments to use the
OJT documentation format developed by TJJD or an equivalent
format; and 4) removing references to certification of youth ac-
tivities supervisors.New 344.640 modifies and republishes information currently
found in 344.640. The new section establishes the amount and
type of continuing education officers must receive to renew their
certifications. Changes in the new section include: 1) reducing
the number of continuing education hours required for juvenile
probation officers from 80 to 60; 2) adding the following to the
list of topics that juvenile supervision officers must receive during
each certification period--preventing, identifying, and reporting
abuse, neglect, and exploitation; verbal de-escalation policies,
procedures, and practices; and standards regarding the use of
personal and mechanical restraints, including prohibited tech-
niques and criteria for use; 3) adding that community activities
officers must complete 40 hours of continuing education to main-
tain an active certification; 4) adding a list of five topics that com-
munity activities officers must receive during each certification
period; 5) adding that the requirement for chief administrative
officers and facility administrators to complete 20 hours of man-
agement-related topics does not apply to the certification period
during which an individual is appointed as a chief administrative
officer or facility administrator; and 6) clarifying that the amount
of required continuing education does not change if an officer's
certification becomes inactive and is later reactivated within the
same certification period.
New 344.660 modifies and republishes information currently
found in 344.660. The new section establishes that TJJD must
approve training and continuing education topics in order for
them to be eligible for credit toward certification. Changes in
the new section include adding that each training or continuing
education event must meet the following criteria in order to be
eligible to count toward certification: 1) relevant, which means
it is related to job responsibilities, the field of juvenile justice, or
fields of study approved by TJJD; 2) organized, which means it
is based on documentation that includes specific learning ob-
jectives, training methods, and evaluation techniques; and 3)
planned, which means it is scheduled and conducted in a prede-
termined location. If the training is provided by the department
or facility, the training must also be evaluated, which means par-
ticipants are provided an opportunity to provide written feedback
and/or participants are tested to measure the transfer of knowl-
edge. Additional changes to the section consist of adding that
TJJD may, on a case-by-case basis, approve events for credit
that do not meet these specific requirements. Further changes
to the section consist of adding that departments and facilities
may contact TJJD to request advance approval of a training or
continuing education topic.
New 344.670 modifies and republishes information currently
found in 344.670. The new section sets limits on the types
and methods of training that may be counted toward certification.
Changes in the new section include: 1) adding that any training
topic may be counted twice in a certification period; 2) adding
that any training topic may be counted up to four times in a certi-
fication period if an officer is concurrently employed by more than
one department or facility or has transferred to a new department
or facility within a certification period; 3) clarifying that meetings,
reviews of policy/procedure, and reviews of employment-related
benefits are not eligible for training credit unless they meet the re-
quirements in 344.660; 4) adding that firearms training required
under 341.808 is not eligible for credit toward continuing edu-
cation requirements; 5) clarifying that juvenile probation officers
and juvenile supervision officers may not count more than 20
hours of pre-recorded training in a certification period; 6) adding
that community activities officers may not count more than 20
total hours of video or web-based training, with no more thanPROPOSED RULES May 19, 2017 42 TexReg 2675
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Texas. Secretary of State. Texas Register, Volume 42, Number 20, Pages 2609-2780, May 19, 2017, periodical, May 19, 2017; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth881852/m1/67/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.