Superintendent Support: School Safety

Educators across our state are committed to the safety of every student in the classroom and on their campuses. The Texas Education Agency shares that commitment and provides this listing of resources in support for achieving that goal.

Governor’s School Safety Correspondence

Governor’s Office News Releases

Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick, Speaker Phelan, Senate Finance, House Appropriations Committee Chairs Announce Additional $874.6 Million For Public Safety Initiatives
Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dade Phelan, Senate Finance Committee Chair Joan Huffman, and House Appropriations Chair Dr. Greg Bonnen today announced the transfer of more than $874.6 million to support critical public safety and recovery initiatives, such as border security and school safety, during the current biennium.

Governor Abbott Announces New Chief Of School Safety And Security
Governor Greg Abbott announced John P. Scott as the new Chief of School Safety and Security within the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Governor Abbott Announces ALERRT Travel Assistance, Bullet-Resistant Shield Grant Program
Governor Greg Abbott today announced the Governor’s Public Safety Office (PSO) is accepting applications from law enforcement agencies for Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) travel assistance and the Bullet-Resistant Shield Grant Program for fiscal year 2023.

• Request ALERRT Training Course
• ALERRT Training Cost Reimbursements (PDF)
• SH Ballistic Shields Announcement (PDF)

Governor Abbott, DPS Launch iWatchTexas PSA To Promote Reporting System
Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) today launched a public service announcement to promote awareness of the iWatchTexas community reporting system as teachers, students, and school faculty across the state return to school for the new school year.

Chief of School Security
Governor Abbott Directs TEA To Create New Chief Of School Safety And Security Position

iWatch
Governor Abbott Directs DPS, TEA, THECB To Expand And Accelerate Implementation Of iWatch Texas Program To Report Suspicious Activity

Safe and Secure Schools
Governor Abbott Directs TEA To Provide Strategies To Make Texas Public Schools Safer

Mental Health
Governor Abbott Directs HHSC To Ensure All Children In Uvalde Have Access To Behavioral Health Resources

School Safety Review
Governor Abbott Calls For Immediate School Safety Review Of Texas Public Schools

TEA Resources

To The Administrator Addressed (TAAs)

• Guidelines for Multihazard Emergency Operations for Individuals with Disabilities or Impairments (TAA) April 18, 2024
• Safety and Facilities Enhancement (SAFE) Grant Cycle 2 Information (TAA) February 15, 2024
• FY23 School Safety Allotment (TAA) February 15, 2024
• FY23 School Safety Allotment Data Collection (TAA) Published January 4, 2024
  • School Safety Allotment Survey for FY 2023 (PDF) Published January 4, 2024
• Standards for Permissible Electronic Devices and Software Applications (TAA) Published November 30, 2023
• Adopted Amended Rules Concerning Safe Schools (TAA) Published October 12, 2023
• Extension of Safety and Facilities Enhancement (SAFE) Grant Needs Assessment (TAA) Published September 21, 2023
• House Bill 3 Model Standards for Parental Notification Published September 7, 2023
• Safety And Facilities Enhancement (SAFE) Grant (TAA) Published August 24, 2023
• School Safety Standards Formula Grant Deadline and New Grant Opportunity Webinar (TAA) Published July 20, 2023
• Adopted School Safety Standards (TAA) Published June 1, 2023
• School Safety Standards Cost Estimates Collection (TAA) Published December 8, 2022
• School Safety Standards (TAA) Published November 3, 2022 
• iWatchTexas School Safety (TAA) Published August 16, 2022 
• School Safety Requirements and Information (TAA) Published July 21, 2022
• Required School Safety Training for School District Trustees Now Available on TEA Learn (TAA) Published July 21, 2022
• Required School Safety Action Steps This Summer (TAA) Published June 30, 2022
• Extension of School Safety and Security Grant (TAA) Published June 30, 2022

88th Legislative Session School Safety Guidance

• 88th Legislature School Safety Bill Review (YouTube) Published October 16, 2023
• House Bill 3 Overview and Guidance Video (YouTube) Published August 25, 2023
• Armed Security Personnel Options Webinar (YouTube) Published September 15, 2023
• Guidelines for Multihazard Emergency Operations (PDF) Published April 18, 2024 
• District Vulnerability Assessment
  The Office of School Safety and Security will offer two webinars that will provide a high-level overview of the What, Where, When, Why, Who, and How of District Vulnerability Assessments.
  • Participants Must:
    • Be Superintendents and/or their school safety designee.
    • Have a registered Zoom account for verification and authentication purposes.
    • Register using their district email address.
  • Webinars
    • Register for the Monday, April 1, 2024, 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Webinar
    • Register for the Thursday, April 4, 2024, 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Webinar

School Safety Standards Rule Resources

• School Safety Standards and New Grant Opportunity Webinar (YouTube)
• School Safety Standards and New Grant Opportunity Webinar FAQ (PDF)
• School Safety Standards in 19 TAC §61.1031
• School Safety Related Grants - FAQ Submission
• Safety and Facility Enhancement (SAFE) Grant
  The 88th Texas Legislative Session appropriated $800M towards supporting school systems in meeting the adopted school safety standards. School systems that have applied to the 2022-2025 School Safety Standards Formula Grant and have not certified compliance with the facility requirements are highly encouraged to complete the Safety and Facility Enhancement (SAFE) grant needs assessment.
  • SAFE Grant Program Guidelines (PDF) Published August 24, 2023
  • SAFE Grant Needs Assessment Preview (PDF) Published August 24, 2023
  • SAFE Grant Needs Assessment Published August 24, 2023
  • More information can be found on the TEA Grant Opportunities page.
  • SAFE Grant Cycle 2 (Launching March 28th)
    • SAFE Grant Cycle 2 Overview March 2024 Webinar (PDF) Published March 19, 2024
    • SAFE Cycle 2 - March 2024 Webinar (YouTube) Published March 19, 2024
    • SAFE Grant Cycle 2 FAQs Published March 19, 2024
    • SAFE Grant Cycle 2 – Grant Allocations (PDF) Published March 21, 2024
    • Upcoming Office Hours
      • Register for March 27th
      • Register for April 10th
      • Register for April 24th
      • Register for May 8th
• 2022-2025 School Safety Standards Formula Grant
  TEA released a formula-based grant application to support the school safety standards proposed rules referenced above. The grant will allow for pre-award for items purchased on or after June 1, 2022. For more information, LEAs should review the allocation funding, allowable costs, and grant links listed below.
  • School Safety Formula Grant Allowable Costs (PDF) Published November 3, 2022
  • School Safety Formula Grant Allocation Funding
    • Allocation by Local Education Agency (PDF) Published November 3, 2022
    • Allocation by Education Service Center (PDF) Published November 3, 2022
  • The grant application will be available on the TEA Grant Opportunities page.
  • 2022-2025 School Safety Standards FAQs 
  • See the School Safety Related Grant Programs webpage here.
• 2022-2024 Silent Panic Alert Technology Grant (Application Closed)
  TEA released a formula grant program on October 28, 2022, to provide grant funds to LEAs to purchase silent panic alert technologies for campuses as a measure of school safety. Silent panic alert technology is generally defined as a silent system signal generated by the activation of a device, either manually or through software applications, intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation (such as an active shooter, intruder, or other emergency situation) requiring a response from law enforcement and/or other first responders.
  • 2022-2024 SPAT FAQs
  • See the School Safety Related Grant Programs webpage here.

• School Safety Standards Cost Estimates
  With the release of the School Safety Standards, TEA has designed cost collection tools to assist LEAs. Although the survey collection has closed, all school systems that need to upgrade facilities to meet the School Safety Standards are highly encouraged to utilize these tools.
  • School Safety Standards Cost Estimate Tools
    • Campus-level School Safety Standards Cost Estimate Tool (Excel)
    • District-level School Safety Standards Cost Estimate Tool (Excel)
    • Recorded School Safety Cost Estimate Webinar

Audit Resources

• Exterior Door Safety Audit
  • Campus-level Exterior Door Safety Audit Tracker (Excel) Published June 30, 2022
  • District-level Exterior Door Safety Audit Tracker (Excel) Published June 30, 2022
• Weekly Exterior Door Sweeps
  • Weekly Exterior Door Sweeps Webinar Recording (Video) Published August 18, 2022
  • Weekly Exterior Door Sweeps Webinar Deck (PDF) Published August 12, 2022
  • Campus-Level Weekly Exterior Door Sweep Tool (Excel) Published August 18, 2022
  • District-Level Weekly Exterior Door Sweep Tool (Excel) Published July 21, 2022
• Summer Audit
  • Summer Targeted Partial Safety Audit (Excel) Published June 30, 2022
  • Summer Safety Audit Webinar Recording (Video) Published July 14, 2022
  • Summer Safety Audit Webinar Deck (PDF) Published July 14, 2022

Texas School Safety Center

The Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University serves as a central location for school safety information and provides schools with research, training, and technical assistance to reduce youth violence and promote safety in Texas.

• List of School Safety Recommendations to address before start of the 2022-2023 school year
• List of School Safety Recommendations to address before start of the 2018-2019 school year (PDF)

Training Opportunities

• Safety & Security Agreements Workshops
• Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) Training
• Standard Response Protocol/Standard Reunification Method Certified Trainer Workshops
• Threat Assessment Management Workshops

Cybersecurity Resources

• K-12 Cybersecurity Initiative
• TX K-12 Cybersecurity Initiative Updates (TAA) Published September 21, 2023
• TX K-12 Cybersecurity Initiative (TAA) Published June 15, 2023

Additional School Safety Resources

• Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) – More information on School Marshal training
• Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) – More information on active shooter training