The unfortunate reality of being a 21st century educator is addressing the topic of school shootings. That message hit too close to home for Texans in May 2018 when a gunman killed 10 at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area.
Within two weeks Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a 40-point “School and Firearm Safety Action Plan” that proposed changes to state laws and practices.
“This plan is a starting point, not an ending place,” said Governor Abbott in May. “This plan will make our schools safer and our communities safer.”
Portions of the governor's plan, such as training for teachers and school officials, was put in place over the summer and other parts of the plan can now be executed after the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced it was awarded $2 million in school safety grants.
Highlights of this 40-point plan include:
New gun laws: Calls for lawmakers to beef up criminal penalties for those who use guns to injure or kill, and it asks lawmakers to close loopholes in existing laws regarding firearm purchase and ownership.
Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath announced on Oct. 8 that TEA had been awarded two Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act federal grants. Each $1 million grant will be used to establish effective campus threat assessments and support mental health training for Texas school districts.
Highlights of the two grants include:
“Texas remains committed to providing a safe learning environment for every student on every public school campus across our state,” according to Commissioner Morath in a release. “By focusing on these two key areas of mental health and preventative measures, we strengthen our state’s ongoing commitment to school safety.”
Topics: Texas Teacher News
Micah is the Director of Curriculum & Technology. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in British Literature, from the University of North Texas and a Master of Arts in Teaching, from Louisiana College. In his previous career, Micah served for 14 years as a banker and bank manager. For the majority of this period, Micah managed the Downtown Fort Worth location of Frost Bank. In 2005, Micah finally surrendered to his true calling to be an educator. After a brief, but fulfilling term teaching high school English at Flower Mound High School in Lewisville ISD, Micah went to work for the family business, training teachers.
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