Texas Governor Greg Abbott Expands School Safety Program After Uvalde Shooting

On Monday, Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to Texas State University Executive Director Dr. Pete Blair instructed him to begin providing Texas State University’s nationally-recognized Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) programs to all school districts across Texas.

The letter comes shortly after the school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed.

“We sadly recognize we cannot do anything to bring back the precious lives that were taken; however, we must do everything in our power to prevent the same tragic ending from happening again,” Abbott wrote in the letter. “An important part of these prevention efforts must focus on the proper training of law enforcement and school administrators on how to respond when they face the threat of an active shooter on their campus.”

“The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center (ALERRT) at Texas State University has trained more than 200,000 first responders across the nation,” he added. “This vital training is an effective tool in responding to active attack situations. ALERRT provides the best research-based active shooter response training in the nation, and your work helps save lives and protect our communities.”

“Texas can benefit from the expertise that your organization offers. I request that you provide a debrief of the Uvalde school shooting and other relevant situations to school administrators, law enforcement personnel, and other decision makers charged with school safety in all of our public schools,” Abbott wrote.

According to a statement from Abbott’s office, ALERRT is “designed to equip first responders with effective strategies to respond to active attack events… The program includes 16 hours of training in team movement, room entry techniques, approach and breaching the crisis, shooting and moving, as well as post engagement priorities of work. The vital training has been shown to shorten response times and strengthen law enforcement abilities. Training will prioritize equipping school-based law enforcement with the necessary skills and knowledge to quickly and effectively respond to active shooting events in Texas public schools.”