PASADENA, Texas — One year after the tragedy in Uvalde, federal lawmakers are highlighting what's changed to make schools safer.
Sen. John Cornyn was in Houston touring Pasadena Memorial High School to see enhanced security measures up close.
Uvalde was top of mind for the senator and educational leaders that gathered with him Wednesday. Cornyn said the federal government took action after the deaths of 19 children and 2 teachers in Uvalde and the legislation they passed is already proving effective in helping keep students safe.
Cornyn held a roundtable discussion with area school district leaders to hear firsthand how the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has improved school safety. It authorized $1.3 billion in school safety grants and $10.8 billion in mental health grants for schools. More than $10 million of that money will be spent in the Houston area.
The senator saw some of the security enhancements up close at Pasadena Memorial High School, including anonymous reporting technology, locked door mechanisms and different ways to keep those wanting to do harm out of the campus. Other area districts have used their grant money on 360-degree camera equipment to better surveil campuses.
Still, one year later, many Uvalde parents don't think enough's been done to prevent another tragedy. Cornyn addressed that on Wednesday.
"There's a lot of different ways to try and address it, probably nothing that will provide comfort to the people that have lost a child or loved one," said Cornyn. "One of the things we did was provide for an enhanced background check for 18 to 21 year olds because what happened with Salvador Ramos in Uvalde, he turned 18 as if he was born yesterday. We didn't look back at juvenile records which would have provided a lot of information showing he was in trouble and unfortunately was likely to be a danger to himself and others. We're trying to learn from each of these tragedies and do better because our ultimate goal is to try and save lives."
The senator said the legislation has already had an impact on preventing possible tragedies. The FBI has thwarted 160 gun transactions thanks to the ability to look back into individuals' juvenile records.
School district leaders told Cornyn what they desperately need are more mental health professionals and counselors in schools. Experts say there should be 1 school psychologist for every 500 students on a campus. Texas currently has 1 for every 2,500. Cornyn says he was even surprised by that data, but that the federal legislation passed and signed into law last year will help address that shortage and need over the next few years.