State allocating $105.5 million to additional school safety, mental health initiatives

The state announced plans last Tuesday to transfer $105.5 million to support additional school safety and mental health initiatives through August 2023. The additional funding is in response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde which prompted the state to take actions to make schools safer while supporting the mental health of students, teachers and families.

The transfer of the funds was announced by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, Senate Finance Committee Chair Joan Huffman and House Appropriations Chair Dr. Greg Bonnen Tuesday, June 28. Approximately $100.5 million is to be allocated for state agencies and programs that enhance school safety and mental health services throughout Texas.

“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,” Gov. Abbott said. “Our communities – urban and rural – are stronger when Texans are safe and healthy, and I thank my partners in the legislature for quickly addressing the need to expand critical mental health and school safety initiatives in the Lone Star State.”

Of the allocated funding, $50 million will be transferred to the Trusteed Programs within the Office of the Governor for the purchase of bullet-resistant shields which are identified by the Texas Department of Public Safety as being of “sufficient quality.” The shields will be distributed based on the priorities of police officers directly employed by school districts, police officers contracted by school districts and finally other law enforcement officers which respond to school safety emergencies, according to a letter from the Legislative Budget Board.

Approximately $17.1 million will be allocated to the Texas Education Agency for distribution to school districts to allow for the purchase of silent panic alert technology, which would allow the districts to alert of a situation occurring via an app or other related method.

The state will also be allocating $5 million to the Texas Department of Public Safety to expand the Texas Fusion Center (TxFC) research and capabilities. According to the Texas Government Code, one of the missions of TxFC is to collect, evaluate, analyze and disseminate information and intelligence data regarding criminal and terrorist activity in the state while following appropriate private and civil liberties safeguards.

A support of $5.8 million will be allocated to the Higher Education Coordinating Board and distributed through the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC) for expansion of the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) throughout the state. According to TCMHCC, TCHATT provides telemedicine or telehealth programs to school districts so they can help identify and assess the behavioral health needs of children and adolescents and provides access to mental health services.

A total of $4.7 million will be distributed to the Health and Human Service Commission (HHSC) to increase Multisystemic Therapy (MST) across the state. According to the youth.gov, the goal of MST is to keep adolescents who have exhibited serious clinical problems such as drug use, violence, severe criminal behavior, at home, in school and out of trouble. The program has family involvement and attempts to find the functional origins of the behavioral problems.

Approximately $950,000 will be allocated to HHSC to expand Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) teams across the state. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, CSC is a recovery-oriented treatment program for people with first episode psychosis (FEP). CSC uses a team of specialists who work with clients to create a personal treatment plan.

“The specialists offer psychotherapy, medication management geared to individuals with FEP, family education and support, case management, and work or education support, depending on the individual’s needs and preferences,” NIMH states on their website. “The client and the team work together to make treatment decisions, involving family members as much as possible. The goal is to link the individual with a CSC team as soon as possible after psychotic symptoms begin.”

Texas State University will be allocated $7 million for additional funding of the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center for rapid response training. An additional $3 million will be allocated to the Trusted Program within the Officer of the Governor for grants to local law enforcement agencies to offset travel expenses associated with the ALERRT training. The training was created in 2022 in partnership with Texas State University, San Marcos Police Department and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office to address the need for active shooter response training for first responders, according to TSU.

Along with the ALERRT training by TSU, an additional $7 million will be allocated to the university for the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) for on-site campus assessments to evaluate access control measures. According to TSU, TxSSC is a university-level research center which is tasked in the Texas Education Code and the Governor’s Homeland Security Strategic Plan with school safety initiatives and mandates.

“Specifically, the TxSSC serves as a clearinghouse for the dissemination of safety and security information through research, training, and technical assistance for K-12 schools and junior colleges throughout the state of Texas,” TxSSC states on their website. “In addition, the TxSSC also builds partnerships among youth, adults, schools, law enforcement officers, and community stakeholders to reduce the impact of tobacco on all Texans through prevention, training and enforcement initiatives.”

The final $5 million will be allocated to HHSC for a planning grant to the Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Center to assist the center in evaluating mental health service in the Uvalde community and establishing a needs assessment for the legislature.

“Funding these much-needed initiatives marks the first of many steps that we will take at the legislature to respond to the horrific events in Uvalde and prevent another tragedy like this from happening again,” Speaker Phelan said.