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Central Texas schools react to Governor Abbott's proposed school safety plan

Posted at 8:35 PM, May 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-30 22:16:18-04

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced 40 specific recommendations Wednesday to address school safety across the state.

His 44-page plan includes recommendations to increase law enforcement presence on campuses, provide mental health evaluations and adding more crisis intervention counselors.

This plan comes just a few days after Abbott held roundtable discussions following the deadly school shooting in Santa Fe, TX.

Waco ISD Superintendent Dr. Marcus Nelson participated in the roundtable discussions and is impressed with the timing of these proposals.

"His commitment today shows we still have a lot of work to do. I know here locally we're prepared to continue the conversation that has begun because of the governor's leadership," Nelson said.

Abbott announced $120-million of changes will be coming to Texas public schools and that will come from funding from the state.

"Normally we get these types of mandates, they're normally unfunded. So this time $120 million, we don't know exactly how that's going to funnel to school districts but we're prepared to add counselors, officers, do what we need to do to improve our safety systems," Nelson said.

Midway ISD Superintendent Dr. George Kazanas released a statement in response to the proposals saying:

"The three main discussion topics are spot on:

1. Making Schools Safer Places

2. Identifying Threats in Advance and Resolving Them

3. Improving Mental Health Assessments and Services

Midway ISD staff has worked hard in all of these areas locally, and we appreciate the timely discussion of state support with an initial infusion of funding. We are hopeful that the state’s ongoing support will include the long-term financial commitment required of substantial security measures.

We also appreciate the encouragement for cooperation between schools and law enforcement. Our partnership with Hewitt and Woodway Police Departments has been immeasurably valuable to student safety."

To see Governor Abbott's full plan, click here.

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