A new report from Gov. Greg Abbott says the state has taken steps to make schools safer.
According to the report, more than 10,000 public school employees were trained in mental health first aid in the 2019 fiscal year. Abbott says this will help prevent future campus threats. The presence of law enforcement in Texas schools has also grown. The number of school marshals is up more than 300 percent in the last year.
Abbott made school safety improvements an emergency item during this spring's legislative session. It became a focus after last year's deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School outside of Houston. The governor issued a series of recommendations in a School Safety Action Plan — and he says state lawmakers passed measures and dedicated more funding to improve student safety and access to mental health care in schools.
