AUSTIN - On Tuesday, Governor Greg Abbott held the first day of his three-day roundtable discussions on school safety at the State Capitol in Austin.
Gov. Abbott launched the talks after the Santa Fe High School shootings. Abbott says his goal is to find ways to prevent any more students from losing their lives.
More than 20 panelists, including lawmakers from both parties, superintendents, an architect, law enforcement officials and the Galveston County’s District Attorney, brainstormed for more than two-and-a-half hours during a mostly closed-door meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
Reporters and recording devices were only allowed inside Tuesday’s meeting during the beginning of the meetings toward the beginning and end. A staff member for Gov. Abbott told KHOU 11 News this was done to “facilitate an open dialogue” for panelists not used to the media’s presence.
Gov. Abbott said the meeting generated a couple dozen or so ideas, including two he says could be in place by the upcoming school year: creating and expanding a “threat assessment system” and pumping more money into training programs at the Texas School Safety Center.
He also shot down criticisms that these roundtable meetings were all talk.
“As we’ve demonstrated already, we did more today than talk,” said Gov. Abbott. “We came up with some very solid solutions, and now it’s just a matter of implementing those solutions.”
“They know we’ve gotta do something or perhaps the voters oughta get somebody who can,” said Rep. Harold Dutton (D-Houston), who serves as Chair of the House Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee. “I think it’ll work. I think this time they’ve got their attention. I think something’s gonna happen.”
Other ideas Gov. Abbott says Tuesday’s meeting generated: adding more behavioral counselors in schools, limiting entrances and exits, putting police officers at the front of schools, and expanded school marshal training, better training for parents, students and teachers on how to relay information, a rewards program for students that do so, and statewide monitoring of social media.
Each of the three days will feature different panelists and will focus on a different topic. Tuesday focused on “hardening” the defense of schools. Wednesday’s discussion will focus on the underlying causes of gun violence, gun regulation, and mental health resources. On Thursday, lawmakers will hear from victims impacted by recent shootings and their families.