SAN ANTONIO – In the wake of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde that killed 19 students and two teachers, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is directing the Texas School Safety Center to review safety in schools.
On Thursday, the TxSSC hosted a virtual school safety town hall, hosted by Texas State Rep. Ray Lopez.
Dr. Kathy Martinez-Prather, director of TxSSC, in the town hall discussed what Abbott’s directive entails and the work the organization has been doing since 1999 to increase both safety and security.
In a letter sent to Dr. Martinez-Prather on June 1, Gov. Abbott instructed that TxSSC ensure all school districts’ school safety and security committees meet ahead of the new school year to review their Emergency Operations Plan and address any campus safety needs. Abbott also said TxSSC should ensure each school behavioral threat assessment team is trained and reviewed on procedures for each campus, while ensuring all staff and substitutes are trained on their specific district and campus safety procedures.
TxSSC has been instructed to provide a progress report of findings to the governor’s office and the legislature by Oct. 1.
“I am charging the TxSSC, in coordination with the TEA, to develop and implement a plan to conduct random inspections to assess access control measures of Texas school districts,” the letter states.
Abbott said among other reviews, teams should begin conducting in-person, unannounced, random intruder detection audits on school districts.
Martinez-Prather said during the town hall a lot of the time someone knows that something might happen beforehand, giving authorities an opportunity to act.
The town hall discussed how mental health is handled in schools, and how different safety measures are being implemented around the state.