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Texas spending $105.5M to support additional school safety, mental health initiatives

By FOX 7 Austin Digital Team
Published  June 28, 2022 11:13am CDT
Uvalde, Texas School Shooting
FOX 7 Austin

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas has announced the transfer of $105.5 million to support additional school safety and mental health initiatives through August 31, 2023. 

The additional funding will boost actions the state has already taken to make schools safer and support the mental health of children, teachers, and families following the tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, according to a press release from Governor Greg Abbott's office. 

$100.5 million will be transferred to state agencies and programs to enhance school safety and mental health services in Uvalde and throughout Texas. The funding will provide:

  • $50 million for bullet-resistant shields;
  • $5.8 million to expand the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) statewide;
  • $4.7 million to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to increase Multisystemic Therapy (MST) across the state;
  • $950,000 to HHSC to expand Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) teams across the state;
  • $7 million for rapid response training by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center and $3 million for local law enforcement agencies to offset travel expenditures associated with the training;
  • $7 million to the Texas School Safety Center for on-site campus assessments to evaluate access control measures;
  • $17.1 million for school districts to purchase silent panic alert technology; and
  • $5 million to the Texas Department of Public Safety to expand fusion center research and capabilities.

State leadership also approved up to $5 million to be used by the Hill Country Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities (MHDD) Center to assist in evaluating mental health services in the Uvalde community and preparing a needs assessment for the legislature.