Legislative Committee Hearings Continue
House Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary Shooting
Joint House Homeland Security & Public Safety and House Select Youth Health & Safety
Senate Special Committee to Protect All Texans
TxSSC School Safety Reporting Tool to Open by Sept. 1
The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) has announced development of a reporting tool for districts to certify safety policies and procedures. TxSSC listed several topics the reporting tool will cover, including School Safety and Security Committee Meetings, School Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams, Safety Procedures and Drills, and Access Control Procedures, with specific metrics in each topic. The tool is expected to open no later than September 1, 2022, and districts are directed to submit responses by September 9, 2022. TxSSC also stated it will coordinate with central administration offices and local law enforcement to conduct intruder detection audits.
ALERRT After-Action Report
Texas State University’s Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center has released an after-action report (PDF) on the Robb Elementary shooting covering the timeline of events and tactics utilized by responding officers. In addition to the after-action report, Governor Abbott also requested that ALERRT provide training programs to all school districts, prioritizing school-based law enforcement.
iWatch Texas Program Expansion
Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter on June 7, 2022, directing the expansion and acceleration of efforts to promote the ability to report suspicious activity known to students, staff, and families through the iWatchTexas reporting system.
Governor Abbott Letter to TEA
On June 2nd, Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to Commissioner Mike Morath directing the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to:
- Review and amend school building standards to ensure a secure and safe environment
- Prepare additional rules to ensure that existing school facilities are held to heightened safety standards and determine cost of compliance
- Instruct schools to identify security measures that they can take prior to the new school year and to conduct weekly security inspections of exterior doors
- Develop strategies to encourage school districts to increase the presence of trained law enforcement officers and school marshals on campuses
Transfer of $105.5 Million Under a Budget Execution Order
$100.5 million will be transferred to state agencies and programs to enhance school safety and mental health services in Uvalde and throughout Texas. The funding will provide:
- $50 million for bullet-resistant shields;
- $5.8 million to expand the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) statewide;
- $4.7 million to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to increase Multisystemic Therapy (MST) across the state;
- $950,000 to HHSC to expand Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) teams across the state;
- $7 million for rapid response training by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center and $3 million for local law enforcement agencies to offset travel expenditures associated with the training;
- $7 million to the Texas School Safety Center for on-site campus assessments to evaluate access control measures;
- $17.1 million for school districts to purchase silent panic alert technology; and
- $5 million to the Texas Department of Public Safety to expand fusion center research and capabilities.
State leadership also approved up to $5 million to be used by the Hill Country Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities (MHDD) Center to assist in evaluating mental health services in the Uvalde community and preparing a needs assessment for the legislature.
Previously on June 13 Speaker of the House Dade Phelan and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick sent letters to one another discussing their plans for the budget. Their proposals can be found below: