Houston-area leaders criticize Gov. Abbott for not calling special session to address safety after Uvalde
HOUSTON - As more kids head back to school this month, school safety remains a top-of-mind concern. Local elected officials now calling out Texas Governor Greg Abbott for his inaction after the Uvalde massacre.
Houston-area top leaders held a news conference Monday asking why Governor Greg Abbott has still not called a special session three months after 19 children and two teachers were killed in Uvalde.
"He's done nothing. I've done more over the summer than Greg Abbott does has," said Rhonda Hart, whose daughter Kimberly was one of 10 people killed during the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting.
As Hart prepares to send her son Tyler off to high school this month, her fight for gun safety reform continues.
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Just a day ago, Hart met with victims' parents from Uvalde at the Astros game. In recent months, Hart become a mentor to these families suffering through similar grief.
"Across the board, every single Uvalde person that I talked to, supports raising the age to purchase an AR-15," Hart said.
"Call a special session Governor. Your failure to call a special session and if someone else should die, under similar circumstances, that blood will be on your hands Governor," Congressman Al Green said.
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On Monday, local elected officials called out Governor Abbott for not doing enough to keep kids safe before the start of the new school year.
"What is very disconcerting for me is that we’re all reconciled to the fact that nothing is going to happen from Austin, that everything now is from local school districts and local law enforcements," Green said.
"It’s a shame that this man is holding the lives of so many families up in the air, even you know, the 10 from Santa Fe and then the 20 plus from Uvalde. He's messing with 30 of our lives," Hart said.
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In a statement, "Governor Abbott has taken immediate action to address all aspects of the heinous crime committed in Uvalde, requesting the Texas legislature also work on legislative recommendations to make schools safer, including considering school safety, mental health, firearm safety, police training, social media, and more. As Governor Abbott has said from day one, all options remain on the table as he continues working with state and local leaders to prevent future tragedies and deploy all available resources to support the Uvalde community as they heal. More announcements are expected in the coming days and weeks as the legislature deliberates proposed solutions."
The Governor's Office also says they've taken the following actions to provide resources for the Uvalde community and to make Texas schools safer:
- Initiating the State of Texas' comprehensive plan to assist and support members of the community, including co-locating state agency representatives to the Family Assistance Center for on-hand assistance in finding benefits.
- Investing an initial $5 million into establishing a long-term Family Resiliency Center in Uvalde County to serve as a hub for community services, including access to the critical mental health resources.
- Providing $105.5 million to make schools safer and support the mental health of children, teachers, and families in Uvalde and across Texas.
- Working with the OneStar Foundation to create a one-stop webpage for donations to support the victims' families, teachers, and the Uvalde community.
- Providing $1.25 million to the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) for counseling, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and community outreach efforts for students and faculty.
- Directing the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to ensure all children in Uvalde have access to behavioral health resources and community support.
- Issuing a disaster declaration at the request of local leaders to accelerate all available state and local resources to assist the Uvalde community.
- Requesting Texas legislative leaders convene special legislative committees to begin examining and developing legislative recommendations on school safety, mental health, social media, police training, firearm safety, and more.
- Directing the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) to begin immediately conducting comprehensive school safety reviews to ensure all Texas public schools are following the appropriate procedures to maximize school safety.
- Directing the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to provide strategies to make Texas public schools safer through heightened safety standards.
- Instructing the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) programs to provide training to all school districts across the state, prioritizing school-based law enforcement.
- Directing TEA, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to expand and accelerate the ability to report suspicious activity through the iWatchTexas reporting system.
- Directing TEA to create a new Chief of School Safety and Security position within the agency.
- Providing over 30 law enforcement officers to Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) campuses for the new school year.
- Urging the Texas District & County Attorneys Association (TDCAA) to increase lie-and-try prosecutions.