Gov. Greg Abbott calls for Texas safety experts to train schools in wake of Uvalde shooting

Governor said he wants a debrief as a ‘reminder of the necessity for constant vigilance’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott calls for school safety review in wake of Uvalde mass shooting

Gov. Greg Abbott is calling on a group of safety experts to train Texas’ public school districts — all 1,022 of them — with a priority on “school-based law enforcement” by the start of the next session.

In a letter sent on Monday to Dr. Pete Blair, the executive director of ALERRT, the governor tasked the program with training school law enforcement on active shooter situations so they could “better respond” to those types of incidents.

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ALERRT, or Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training at Texas State University, trains people on-site and in San Marcos on courses like “Basic Active Shooter Response Level (“Stop the Killing”)” and “Active Shooter Incident Management (ASIM).”

“Texas can benefit from the expertise that your organization offers,” Abbott said.

Abbott requested that ALERRT also “debrief” the May 24 massacre at Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School, where the 18-year-old gunman continued his rampage for roughly 80 minutes before authorities killed him.

After releasing conflict information, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety said the incident commander, Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo, believed it was a hostage situation, not an active shooter situation. Arredondo reportedly did not have a radio at the scene.

The gunman killed 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers during that time.

“This discussion will serve as a solemn reminder of the necessity for constant vigilance in every school hallway and classroom and the need for the active shooter training you provide,” Abbott said in the letter.

“Additionally, I direct that you deploy your nationally recognized active shooter training to all Texas school districts, prioritizing school-based law enforcement.”

Read Abbott’s full letter below:

A KSAT 12 Defenders investigation revealed that Uvalde CISD police officers participated in an active shooter training in late March.

The course, taught by a UCISD police officer and a supervisor, instructed participants to use “immediate, decisive action” to neutralize a suspect in these types of scenes.

The course included scenario training and informed officers taking part that in active shooter cases they “will usually be required to place themselves in harm’s way and display uncommon acts of courage to save the innocent.”

“First responders must understand and accept the role of ‘Protector’ and be prepared to meet violence with controlled aggression. A first responder unwilling to place the lives of the innocent above their own safety should consider another career field. Immediate, decisive action by school-based officers can have a dramatic impact on reducing casualties,” the training document states.

Abbott did not specify if ALERRT is expected to deploy trainers or provide courses to each district, but he did say that certified trainers within the Texas Department of Public Safety “stand ready to help.”

In the wake of the shooting, Abbott has come under fire for calling meetings to review gun and school safety.

But in his letter, Abbott said “we must do everything in our power to prevent the same tragic ending from happening again.”

So far, he has called on the Texas Legislature to form special committees to make recommendations. Though, he has not called for a special session — the only time that laws can be passed outside the legislative session.

In reply, the Texas State Teachers Association called Abbott’s response “very weak.”

“Committees and other groups have studied school safety before, including after the Santa Fe High School shootings in 2018 and the El Paso Walmart shootings in 2019, and schools obviously aren’t safe from mass shooters,” TSTA’s statement read in part. “This is because the governor and legislators refuse to address the real issue and enact reasonable gun laws to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.”

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About the Author:

Rebecca Salinas is an award-winning digital journalist who joined KSAT in 2019. She reports on a variety of topics for KSAT 12 News.