Senate Report: Investments In School Safety, Mental Health Care Needed After Uvalde Shooting
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Last week, a Texas Senate select committee released a report outlining policy recommendations for improving school safety in the wake of the Uvalda mass shooting, many of which focused on improving campus safety and investing in mental health care.
The 11-member Senate Select Committee on All Texans, which includes eight Republicans and three Democrats, is tasked with examining existing regulations and making recommendations in five areas — school safety, mental health, social media, police training and gun safety. . to the legislature. Repair.
The 100-page report released Wednesday summarizes expert testimony during two days of hearings in June and outlines 24 policy recommendations from the committee, 17 of which are to make schools safer and invest resources in the mental health system.
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The committee made only one proposal regarding gun safety, which was to increase the state's penalties for knowingly purchasing a firearm from someone who is not legally allowed to own one, a crime known as a "straw purchase." But the policy will not affect the Uvalde shooter's access to the weapons he used in the May 24 massacre, which he legally obtained eighteen years ago.
The publication of the report is less than a month before the start of the next legislative session on January 10. Lawmakers will discuss the report's recommendations and other measures to help prevent mass shootings, such as the school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers. Robb Elementary School in Uvala, the worst school shooting in Texas history.
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The Gun Safety Committee's only recommendation was "straw buying," where a person buys a gun on behalf of someone who doesn't have the legal right to buy a gun, which is a state crime.
According to federal law, it is illegal to buy weed, but the commission expressed concern that it is rarely enforced. The commission said that by making the crime a state crime, law enforcement agencies can fight illegal arms trafficking better and prevent mass attacks in the future.
After the mass shooting, victims' families urged lawmakers to enact some gun restrictions, including raising the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21, but the Senate report said "strong consensus is still lacking." In the committee on this idea.
Although the Supreme Court has not ruled on this yet, Governor Greg Abbott said that he believes that raising the marriage age is unconstitutional.
Committee member and state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said in letters attached to the end of the report that he supports the state's anti-weed law, but said lawmakers should consider more gun control measures. West cited a Texas Policy Project poll that showed 52% of Texas voters support stricter gun safety laws and 73% of Texas voters support raising the minimum gun age to 21.
Committee member and state Sen. Juan "Choi" Hinojosa, Dr. McAllen, supported the policy, saying in the same letter that not including recommendations for such legislation would be "a disservice" to those killed at the Ropp school. , the same. For "red flag" laws, mandatory government background checks and "cooling off" periods.
In two recent letters included in the report, committee members and Sens. Brian Birdwell, R.-Granbury, and Donna Campbell, R.-New Braunfels, emphasized their opposition to such a policy.
What do you know? Texas lawmakers signed a nondisclosure agreement to keep the Uvalde shooting under wraps.
How to improve school safety after Uvaldi
In its report, the committee made seven recommendations to improve school safety. First, the commission proposed establishing a "School Safety Review Team" that would assess schools for risk every six months. The panel recommended an increase in the amount of money that states allocate to schools for safety and continued funding for school safety grants.
The committee proposed several reforms to the school administration program, including increasing the number of teachers, adding an Advanced Law Enforcement Course (also known as ALERRT) to the curriculum, expanding eligibility to become a school principal, and extending the tenure. Incentive Options Fee Flexible, Additional Funding for the Marshall School Governor's Scholarship Program.
The report calls for changes to the vacation system. In the year In 2015, state lawmakers passed a law banning persistent truancy in an effort to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. However, after several district leaders told the commission that the current process is "flawed and problematic," the commission's report indicated that the Legislature would give school districts more authority and options to deal with unexcused absences.
In a letter accompanying the report, West urged caution.
"I don't think it's practical or necessary to do away with the current severance system completely. I hear and understand the complaints from the regulatory body about the current law, and I believe we're going to offer the current one. It's a little bit of a rough draft without determining any behavior." We got that early on the record.” I miss school.
The committee recommended legislation that would allow disciplinary records or "at-risk behavior assessments" if students transfer to another school district within the state and clarify the agency's powers, responsibilities and jurisdiction. Texas Board of Education. Texas School Safety Center on School Safety Practices.
Mental health
In the report, the committee urged states to provide mental health telehealth services to all school districts and take steps to increase the number of mental health professionals available to care for students, including ensuring the voluntary participation of physicians and investing in practical loan repayment programs. , and offer paid fellowships and internships. will do. , as well as simple licensing requirements.
The committee recommended that states establish a database of patient beds, especially for sick children; Increase funding to provide more inpatient beds; And conduct research to determine the demand for these resources in the coming decades.
Other mental health tips:
- Ensure that Texans in the criminal justice system can continue to receive mental health medications.
- Calculate the costs and benefits of offering negotiated private health insurance to Texas children under 21 with mental disorders.
- Increase funding for the Multisystemic Therapy Team and Child Stabilization Team in the Youth Development Program.
social media
On social media, the committee urges the Legislature that the Department of Public Safety conduct a public awareness campaign for iWatchTexas, the state's threat alert system, and encourage school districts to use similar platforms or software.
Police training
The commission recommended that ALERRT training be mandatory for all law enforcement officers and meet the Texas Law Enforcement Commission's active shooter training requirements.
It also requires school districts to share their emergency plans with law enforcement and to provide mental health records to those interviewed by law enforcement officials.
This article was originally published in Austin's American Country: Senate report: Investment needed in school safety and mental health after Jowald shooting.
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