Section 343.274 - Resident Discipline Plan(a) Each facility shall develop and implement a written resident discipline plan that provides for the fair and consistent application of resident rules and sanctions.(b) The plan shall: (1) categorize resident rule violations as minor violations and major violations and list the corresponding sanctions available for each violation. If the discipline plan allows for repeated minor rule violations to be considered a major rule violation, the discipline plan shall: (A) specify how many minor rule violations constitute a major rule violation;(B) define a repeated violation as one that occurs within the same calendar day as the first violation; and(C) specify the sanctions available for repeated minor violations;(2) require a referral to law enforcement for resident behaviors that constitute probable cause for a class B misdemeanor or above;(3) prohibit the following: (B) humiliating punishment, including verbal harassment;(C) allowing or directing one resident to sanction another resident;(D) group punishment for the acts of individuals;(E) deprivation or modification of required meals and snacks;(F) deviation from normal food service procedures, except as allowed by § 343.308 of this title;(G) deprivation of clean and appropriate clothing;(H) deprivation or intentional disruption of scheduled sleeping opportunities;(I) deprivation or intentional delay of medical or mental health services;(J) physical exercises imposed for compliance, intimidation, or discipline with the exception of practices allowed in § 343.710 of this title; and(K) denial of the following as a disciplinary sanction: (i) the right to visitation as specified in § 343.352(b) of this title;(ii) the right to send mail as specified in § 343.360(a) and § 343.364 of this title;(iii) the right to receive mail;(iv) the right to participate in large muscle exercise as specified in § 343.498(b)(1) and § 343.680(b)(1) of this title;(v) the right to receive required educational programming; and(vi) the right to participate in religious services or to receive religious counseling;(4) require written notice of an alleged major rule violation to be provided to the resident no more than 24 hours after the violation;(5) explain the process for conducting reviews of major rule violations and any ensuing appeals, as required by §§ 343.276, 343.280, and 343.282 of this title;(6) not deny or restrict a formal disciplinary review or appeal when one is requested by a resident with eligible standing; and(7) require an administrative review and closure of formal disciplinary reviews or appeals that are not resolved before the resident is released from the facility.(c) The resident discipline plan may also include an informal disciplinary review process to resolve rule violations. If used, the informal process shall include: (1) guidelines that describe how residents and staff use the process to review and resolve resident concerns;(2) a requirement for the staff member conducting the informal review to allow the resident to be heard before a decision is made to impose a sanction; and(3) a prohibition on issuing a sanction to or retaliating against a resident who chooses to forego the informal disciplinary review process in favor of a formal disciplinary review.37 Tex. Admin. Code § 343.274
The provisions of this §343.274 adopted to be effective January 1, 2010, 34 TexReg 7095; amended by Texas Register, Volume 39, Number 47, November 21, 2014, TexReg 9253, eff. 1/1/2015; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 43, October 23, 2015, TexReg 7438, eff. 2/1/2016