TX Governor Greg Abbott Unveils School Safety Plan: Watch

DALLAS, TX — Texas Governor Greg Abbott Wednesday unveiled a new, 40-page plan to curb violence in Texas schools while speaking with reporters at Dallas ISD headquarters in Dallas.

The plan, he said, recommends some $120 million in funding strategies to help schools implement 40 proposed changes that he, along with other influential educators, law enforcement officials and students, believe will make schools safer for students and teachers.

While the presentation largely avoided the topic of gun control, mentions were made of better protecting schools with armed security workers called “school marshals” and a heightened police presence on all campuses.

Abbott said his plan aims to place more police officers on school campuses by providing incentives for officers to go to the schools. Among those incentives is a potential to create places within schools for officers to rest, write reports or file paperwork.

The recommendation, he said, offers matching grants of up to $10,000 per campus, should schools desire to incentivize police to spend more time on campus.

Abbott said a Santa Fe shooting survivor told him in a roundtable meeting that, “Arming teachers and not knowing who is armed — that is what we need.”

The plan allows for veterans and off-duty police officers to be trained to become school marshals during the summer of 2018 at no additional cost to teachers or districts.

Among the proposals was a plan to implement active-shooter alarm systems that operate separately from fire alarm systems.

“When the fire alarms went off in Santa Fe, it compelled teachers and students to read the way they were trained…” Abbott said. “As soon as they entered the hallway, they encountered gunfire from the shooter.”

The proposal could also allow for schools to implement safer entrances and exits, although no mention of metal detectors was made.

And in the most meager nod to gun control, Abbott expressed a desire to raise the legal age of gun storage restrictions to 18, disallowing 17-year-olds to possess guns and requiring adults to more securely protect guns from being accessed by children and teens.

He also asked gun owners to more quickly report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement in an effort to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

Abbott wrapped up the presentation with a discussion of mental health initiatives. The governor said he will ask the Texas legislature to invest in crisis intervention counselors.

“This plan puts the state on a pathway to ensure healthier families, safer schools and safer communities in the state of Texas.”

Abbott is expected to address a crowd at Hays County Law Enforcement Center in San Marcos at 2:00 p.m. to further discuss the safety plan.

>>> You can read the proposal in full here.

Lupe Valdez, Texas' Democratic candidate for governor, released a statement suggesting Abbott's plan did not do enough to keep schools safe.

"While some of these actions like increased mental health counseling are essential and should have been enacted years ago, it is astounding how few of Governor Abbott's proposals directly address gun violence and how he ignored some of the most critical steps we must take," Valdez said, in part. "With this insufficient plan, Governor Abbott has proven yet again why parents, teachers, and students can't trust him."

Read more:

• Texas Governor Launches Gun Violence Prevention Talks (Video)
• Gov. Abbott Schedules Roundtable Gun Talk At Texas Capitol

Watch the Wednesday morning address

Image: Texas governor Greg Abbott addresses reporters, onlookers at a school safety roundtable discussion in Austin on Tuesday, May 22. Photo via Tony Cantu, Patch staff