Gov. Greg Abbott took his next step in promoting school safety by unveiling a plan to make Texas schools safer. In press conferences from Dallas and San Marcos on Wednesday, Abbott released a 43-page proposal that outlines 40 different ways he wants to protect Texas students.
“One goal in mind, and that is to make sure Texas and our local communities are doing everything we possibly can to make our communities, and our state, and most importantly our schools, safer places,” Abbott said.
His plan included both short-term suggestions and long-term solutions for preventing gun violence on Texas campuses, like the deadly school shooting at Santa Fe High School earlier this month. Last week, Abbott held two roundtable discussions with lawmakers, safety and security experts, school officials from across the state. Gun violence victims and survivors of incidents at Santa Fe, Sutherland Springs, and Alpine participated in a third meeting.
“Every single item that I’m advancing today, were items offered up in one of these roundtable discussions,” Abbott shared.
Abbott proposes the installation of an alarm system, similar to fire alarms, that warn people on campus of an active shooter. His list also incorporated the addition of metal detectors, decreased entryways and exits for schools, with increased scrutiny on mental health, social media monitoring, and providing more ways for students to anonymously report suspicious behavior.
Abbott also wants to expand counseling programs, and grow campus crime stopper programs statewide.
The governor’s list racks up a tab of around $110 million, some of which will come from state and federal grants. Other portions will need to be approved by the state legislature.
Following Abbott’s announcement, House Speaker Joe Straus instructed a legislative panel to study a possible “red flag” law that if implemented, would define the legal process for keeping weapons away from those who seek to do harm.
“In the coming days, I will issue other interim charges designed to help prevent another school shooting,” Straus said. “I also hope that Members of the House will present their own ideas for immediate action and for study before the Legislature meets again. This issue is a priority for the Texas House, and it will remain a priority well into the future.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the state senate will prioritize school safety when it meets again in January, and has already begun to work on certain elements.
“This will be Senate Bill 1,” Patrick said.
“We have to get buy-in from everyone to make our schools safer,” he mentioned.
As for the price tag on the proposals, Patrick said the cost did not concern him.
“I am not worried about the cost,” Patrick explained after Abbott’s announcement. “Between the federal grant, between the money that we can allocate, we will address that.”
Patrick also got the senatorial ball rolling by launching a committee to study violence and security in schools. Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., D-Brownsville, is one of nine members who will serve on the panel.
“Something I would like to see- a uniform type of process we can all be able to live with and count on no matter what school or the size of a school district is,” Lucio said. He previously authored failed legislation that would have created a mental health division in the Texas Education Agency.
“I’m glad that at least (state leadership) recognized now, unfortunately two years later, that all those bills should have been given, not only a hearing, but they should have been moved along, and they could have been improved if necessary if people felt they could have been altered a little bit to make them better.”
Lucio said Abbott’s plan is the “right step.”
“Better late than never, and hopefully this will set the stage for us to have safer schools, more secure schools, and none of our children dying in the future,” he added.
To read the full proposal, click here.
