Central Texas school districts take precautions at campuses following deadly Texas school shooting
AUSTIN, Texas - Central Texas school districts are responding after a school shooting in Uvalde left 19 students and two teachers dead.
Districts have shared condolences on social media and have detailed new security measures through the end of the school year along with long-term security measures in place.
According to a letter from the Austin ISD superintendent, additional officers will be on campuses for final classes and during graduations.
"I hope that if anyone notices the police at graduation and the last day of school, they feel safe. But I also hope that they don't notice the police and just enjoy what should be incredibly joyful and well-deserved celebrations after a tough few years," said Jason Stanford, chief of communications & community engagement at AISD.
Security measures that have been underway at AISD, courtesy of a TEA grant, include installation of bullet-resistant material at entryways. The installations are expected to be complete by this summer.
The 2017 bond also provided millions to fund security measures including the installation of electronic intrusion systems and upgrading cameras. Those upgrades are also on track to be completed soon, according to Stanford.
According to a spokesperson for Pflugerville ISD, PfISD police, along with the Pflugerville Police Department and DPS troopers, have increased patrols on campuses.
"Regarding some of our safety measures currently in place: we added controlled entry vestibules to all schools as a result of the 2014 bond," a PfISD spokesperson said in a statement provided to FOX 7. "As part of our 2018 bond, we added security cameras and intrusion detection and access controls at campuses across the district."
Law enforcement agencies have also announced efforts to assist local schools. The Kyle Police Department announced that they would be staffing Hays CISD campuses this week, and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is also helping out at rural schools that may not have as many resources.
On Wednesday, UTPD tweeted that officers visited UT Elementary to talk to students about safety protocols in place.