TEA has
posted correspondence outlining school safety resources that are available to school districts. The letter provides information about:
- the Texas Schools Safety Center,
- the school marshal program and associated training provided through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement;
- recommendations to coordinate with local law enforcement; and
- a report from the US Secret Service and the US Department of Education related to threat assessment in schools.
As a reminder, both the Texas Senate and the Texas House plan to hold committee hearings related to school safety in coming weeks. The first Senate hearings will be Monday and Tuesday
mornings beginning at 9:00, when the Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools and School Security will meet. On Monday, the committee will hear invited and public testimony on the following:
Improve the infrastructure and design of Texas schools to reduce security threats, and discuss various proposals to harden school facilities, including limiting access points, improving screening and detecting of weapons, retrofitting school facilities with improved locks, emergency alarm systems, and monitoring cameras.
On Tuesday, the committee will hear invited and public testimony on the following:
Study school security options and resources, including, but not limited to, the school marshal program, school police officers, armed school personnel, the Texas School Safety Center, and other training programs to determine what improvements can be made to provide school districts and charter schools with more robust security options.You can watch the Senate hearings
here.
The House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence will meet Monday June 25 at 10:00 am to discuss the following interim charges:
- Review the applicable portions of the state's penal laws and make legislative recommendations regarding whether existing protective order laws are sufficient or could be amended to include 'red flag' or mental health protective orders or whether 'red flag' or mental health protective orders should be independently created to allow law enforcement, a family member, a school employee, or a district attorney to file a petition seeking removal of firearms from a potentially dangerous person and providing for mental health treatment for the potentially dangerous person, while preserving the fundamental rights of the Second Amendment and ensuring due process.
- Examine current statutes designed to protect minors from accessing firearms without proper supervision and make recommendations to ensure responsible and safe firearm storage, including enhancing the penalty to a felony when unauthorized access results in death or bodily injury.
You can watch the House hearings here.