BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – In response to a crash at a Montessori school in Bexar County that killed a 1-year-old girl and a preschool teacher, State Representative Ray Lopez has filed a bill to enhance safety measures at childcare centers across Texas.
House Bill 4113 seeks to mandate the installation of safety barriers at childcare centers participating in the Texas Rising Star Program, a rating and improvement system for childcare facilities.
The proposed legislation comes in the wake of a deadly crash on Dec. 19, 2024, at the Excelled Montessori Plus School.
A woman picking up her children accelerated her vehicle into another car, which rammed both vehicles through a fence.
The crash resulted in the deaths of 22-year-old teacher Alexia Rosales and 1-year-old Mkaya Amrani, who died at a local hospital weeks later.
Four other children and another woman were also hospitalized.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told KSAT at the scene of the crash that Rosales and the group of children were pinned under one of the vehicles while they were in a playground area at the school.
House Bill 4113 says that the Texas Workforce Commission will award a higher rating under the Texas Rising Star Program to childcare centers that install safety barriers around areas where children and staff gather, such as playgrounds and entrances.
If the bill is passed in the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate, it could be implemented on Sept. 1, 2025.
The Texas legislative session runs from Jan. 14 to June 2, 2025.
The Texas Workforce Commission is expected to oversee the implementation of the safety measures if the bill passes through the chambers.
The introduction of the bill follows a request from the families of Rosales and Amrani, who urged Rep. Lopez to implement changes to prevent similar tragedies.
The families initially drafted a proposed ordinance, known as the “Amrani-Rosales Safety Ordinance,” which served as a foundation for House Bill 4113.