In response to the fatal shooting of 19 students and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the state government has released a list of school safety requirements for all district and charter schools to complete by September 1, 2022.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) developed the requirements for Texas schools and shared resources for school safety leaders in a recent announcement. The school safety measures to be completed this summer include:
- Conduct a Summer Targeted Partial Safety Audit to determine the state of physical security on the school campus, including questions about access control, credentialing, training, surveillance, visitor management and more.
- Conduct an Exterior Door Safety Audit to check door components and other access control measures.
- Review emergency operations plan (EOP) and active threat plan.
- Confirm all staff are trained on the school's safety procedures.
- Schedule all emergency drills for the coming school year.
- Ensure that all members of the threat assessment team have received training.
- Review and update access control measures, if non-compliant.
The school safety guidance included resources for security leaders at educational facilities, including audit templates and grant information.
The requirements aim to bolster the security posture of school facilities after the shooting at Robb Elementary School, which is still under investigation.