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On Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced $105.5 million to support additional school safety and mental health initiatives through August 31, 2023.
Among other things, the funding will provide money for bullet-resistant shields, for school districts to purchase silent panic alert technology, and for rapid response training by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
“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,” Abbott said.
Iowa governor commits $100 million
Also on Tuesday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a $100 million investment toward school safety after the Uvalde massacre.
The funding will directly benefit Iowa’s 327 school districts and 83 nonpublic and independent schools.
“Americans are asking what can be done to prevent this from happening again. Every family should be able to confidently send their children to school, knowing that they will be safe,” Reynolds said.
The resources will implement technology to make it easier for the public to anonymously report threats, offer schools digital incident mapping and radios, and provide specialized response training for educators and law enforcement, the governor said.
The largest portion of the investment, more than $80 million, will go to conducting vulnerability assessments to school districts and launch a grant program to help schools pay for the recommended safety improvements, Reynolds said.
Uvalde mayor, teachers and police will testify
Back in Texas, the state’s House Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary Shooting is scheduled to meet in Uvalde on Wednesday to hear invited testimony from Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin and several teachers and police officers.
The witness list includes teachers Jennieka Rodriguez, Sasha Martinez, Lynn Deming and Nicole Ogburn, as well as Uvalde police officers Juan Saucedo, Lt. Mariano Pargas, Sgt. Eduardo Canales and Lt. Javiar Martinez.
Because of the quasi-judicial nature of the committee’s investigation, witnesses will be examined behind closed doors in executive session.
CNN’s Jeremy Grisham, Rosa Flores and Rosalina Nieves contributed to this report.
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