Fortified campuses, fearful classrooms: Texas schools two years after Uvalde
Two years have passed since the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where an 18-year-old gunman armed with an AR-15 killed 19 children and two teachers while hundreds of law enforcement officers waited nearby.
As we mark this somber anniversary, it’s disheartening to see that gun violence remains a critical issue in Texas schools. Recent shootings in North Texas underscore the urgent need for meaningful action.
According to the 2024 Texas AFT membership survey, 82% of K-12 educators are worried about gun violence on their campuses, making it their top priority among 11 community and social justice issues. This fear is based on a grim reality: Everytown for Gun Safety has documented over 500 incidents of gunfire on school grounds nationwide in the past three years.
Texas AFT President Zeph Capo emphasized the fundamental responsibility of schools to provide a safe learning environment and the Texas Legislature’s essential role in supporting this goal, noting that we are currently failing in this duty.
“Every day, Texans entrust their children to our schools,” Capo said. “They’re supposed to be learning, growing, and unleashing their potential.
But instead, they face the trauma of active shooter drills and the real fear of becoming the next victim of a school shooting.
It’s time for our leaders to stop playing the blame game and prioritize the safety of our children and educators over politics.
Despite efforts to fortify campuses after the Uvalde shooting, gun violence continues to disrupt Texas school communities.
Recent shootings at Wilmer-Hutchins High School and James Bowie High School in Arlington have left students and parents deeply shaken.
Danielle Curtis, whose daughter was present during the Wilmer-Hutchins shooting, described her family’s experience with gun violence as “a paralyzing fear” to the Dallas Morning News.
Texas leaders have taken some steps to improve school safety, such as mandating armed staff on every campus and increasing school safety funding, but these measures fall far short of the comprehensive reforms needed.
For instance, the additional funding for school safety under House Bill 3 is inadequate.
“If lawmakers think they checked a box on school safety last session, we should be appalled at how low the bar is,” said Nicole Hill, Texas AFT communications director, in an interview with The Dallas Morning News.
“They tossed 28 extra cents per student into school safety funding and then mandated underfunded districts hire armed security guards on every campus — an expense not even close to covered by those extra pennies.”
Meanwhile, the Texas Legislature has avoided addressing the state’s permissive gun laws. Gov. Greg Abbott has falsely claimed that raising the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles would be unconstitutional, despite multiple federal court rulings to the contrary.
If Texas had required individuals to be 21 to buy assault weapons, as Florida did after the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, the Uvalde shooter might have been unable to acquire such lethal firepower.
State legislation to “raise the age” failed in 2023 despite strong advocacy by Uvalde victims’ families.
As the 89th legislative session approaches, it’s crucial that our elected officials take bold, decisive action to address gun violence in our schools.
This approach must include evidence-based policies, such as safe firearm storage laws, extreme risk protection orders (“red flag” laws), universal background checks, and substantial investment in mental health services and support staff in public schools.
Additionally, Texas officials must stop obstructing progress on lawful policy changes at the national level.
We cannot continue to accept the unacceptable. Our children and educators deserve to feel safe in their classrooms, not live in constant fear of the next tragedy.
On this second anniversary of the Uvalde shooting, let us honor the memory of those lost by demanding our leaders have the courage to enact the change our communities desperately need.
Thoughts and prayers are not enough; it is time for action.
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