In the wake of the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, Texas lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott announced on June 28th that they would be transferring $105 million in the state school funds to go specifically toward school security and mental health initiatives. The focus of state leaders is hardening schools and concentrating on mental wellness to help prevent future tragedies.
Gov. Abbott stated, “The state of Texas is acting swiftly to ensure our schools are secure and that children, teachers, and families across Texas have the support and resources they need to be safe as we work to prevent future tragedies like the heinous crime committed in Uvalde.”
According to The Dallas Morning News, the total includes:
$5 million for the mental health authority that oversees Uvalde and the surrounding area. The remaining $100.5 million will be allocated as follows:
- $50 million for bulletproof shields
- $17.1 million to buy silent panic alert technology for schools
- $7 million for Texas State University’s active-shooter training program, Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT)
- $7 million for Texas State’s Texas School Safety Center to conduct on-site safety audits at schools
- $5.8 million for the state’s mental health telemedicine program, Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine
- $5 million for the Department of Public Safety to expand regional multi-agency police intelligence centers, known as fusion centers
- $4.7 million to the Health and Human Services Commission for broad-based therapy and community treatment programs for at-risk youth
- $3 million to cover travel expenses for Texas police officers who go through the training
- $950,000 for Health and Human Services-coordinated specialty care teams that provide rapid help to youth experiencing a first episode of psychosis
This budget allocation is being pulled from the Texas Education Agency’s Foundation School Program, which currently has a surplus of $1.1 billion, according to the TEA.
The category of “silent panic alert technology” is somewhat broad but includes devices such as wearables, lanyards, badges, and Singlewire’s InformaCast Fusion mobile app.
For more information on how you can utilize your campus’s existing silent panic alert technology, please allow one of our experts to get in touch with you.
