Texas school safety officials brief lawmakers about audits conducted at campuses
AUSTIN (CBSNewsTexas.com) – At the Texas Capitol Tuesday, top school safety officials told lawmakers about the results of the first random intruder detection audits conducted at schools across the state.
Kathy Martinez Prather, Director of the Texas School Safety Center said, "We know access control is critical. A locked door creates a time barrier and time barriers save lives."
Between September and December, inspectors conducted audits at 2,800 campuses across Texas.
At 95% of them, inspectors could not gain unauthorized access into the school.
But at 5%, or 140 schools, inspectors were able to get into the school, but Martinez Prather didn't reveal which schools.
She said overall, the findings were good.
Martinez Prather said 72% of the campuses did not need any corrective action, while 28% of the campuses did need some sort of corrective action - but didn't offer specifics.
Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas School Safety Center to conduct the intruder detection audits following the deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022.
A gunman shot and killed 19 students and two teachers after being able to walk into a rear door that was unlocked.
Martinez Prather said as of Monday, her agency has conducted inspections at more than 4,600 campuses, more than half of the state's 9,000 school campuses.
She also said inspectors will reach every district by the end of the school year, they will only be able to visit 75% of the campuses statewide.
The School Safety Center will release a report in June.
One lawmaker, Representative Ken King, R-Canadian, asked her if there needs to be an enforcement mechanism, a way to ensure school districts comply with safety requirements.
Martinez Prather said, "It's not about an 'I gotcha.' But things have to be addressed. We have to get them to coming into compliance with school safety mandates and provide them the services to be able to do that."
John Scott, chief of School Safety & Security at the Texas Education Agency, agreed. "There has to be some enforcement mechanism. If somebody's checking, everybody cares."
School safety officials also told lawmakers that the state hasn't kept up with the rising demand for mental health services for students.
Martinez Prather said, There aren't enough services to meet the demand. We have a lot of school districts that reach out to us that are working their entire threat assessment process the way they're supposed to, but that students that need help can't get that help for two months from now."
The state has a program called TChatt, in which limited, free mental health services are provided through telemedicine.
But one lawmaker from rural Texas said many school districts aren't aware of it.
Representative King said, "I find it kind of bizarre, very few schools I talk to use it, they don't know about it."
Scott replied, "Particularly in rural school districts, it is less known."
Lawmakers approved the program in 2019 after the deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School a year earlier.
During the hearing, another lawmaker, Representative Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, asked Scott about armed security at schools. "My question is do you believe that every campus that has students in a classroom should have at least one armed person on campus as a security person?"
Scott replied, "I do."
"Don't tell them how to do it but tell them what needs to be done in that respect. At least one authorized, trained, armed person should be on every campus in the state of Texas."
He said the school districts could choose between a school resource officer or the Marshal or Guardian programs.
Texas lawmakers have proposed spending $600 million on school security during the next two years.