Statements from the Texas School Safety Center

July 3, 2023

The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) has released the final Statewide Intruder Detection Audits Findings Report.

In response to a June 2022 directive from Governor Greg Abbott, the TxSSC facilitated Intruder Detection Audits to detect vulnerable access points and identify possible areas of improvement in security procedures in school campuses across Texas. With coordination from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Education Service Centers, the TxSSC began facilitating inspections in September 2022.

This report presents aggregate data and key findings from audits conducted during the 2022/2023 school year. The TxSSC met the goals of conducting inspections across 100% of eligible school districts and 75% of campuses across the state.

Beginning in the fall of 2023, TEA will be responsible for continuing the intruder detection audits.

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January 25, 2023

The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) has released the Fall 2022 Statewide Intruder Detection Audits Findings Report.

In response to a June 2022 directive from Governor Greg Abbott, the TxSSC is facilitating Intruder Detection Audits to detect vulnerable access points and identify possible areas of improvement in security procedures in school campuses across Texas. With coordination from the Texas Education Agency and the Educational Service Centers, the TxSSC began facilitating inspections in September 2022.

This report presents aggregate data and key findings from audits conducted through December 31, 2022.

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October 27, 2022

The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) has released the Statewide Certification of School Summer Safety Action Steps Findings Report.

The report presents aggregate data from a 21-question survey asking public K-12 and charter district superintendents to certify districts completed the safety initiatives outlined by Governor Abbott in June. The goal of the action steps was for districts to enhance their safety and security posture prior to the start of the school year. One hundred percent of districts responded to the survey. The Texas Education Agency will determine corrective actions for districts that indicated they were not able to complete one or more of the required actions.

While these action steps were part of this past summer’s required school safety activities, districts should implement the steps on an ongoing basis. The TxSSC will continue to develop training and resources to assist districts with safety and security efforts.

Governor Abbott’s letter on June 1, 2022, also directed the TxSSC to conduct intruder detection audits on school districts. These audits began in September and will assess many of the action steps districts were required to complete this summer. The Texas School Safety Center will provide a mid-year report in late January and a year-end report in the summer of 2023 presenting aggregate findings from the audits.

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June 1, 2022

The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) received Governor Abbott’s letter and shares his desire to ensure the safety and security of our schools. TxSSC is designing a program and action items to specifically address the governor’s directives within the prescribed timelines.

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About the Texas School Safety Center 

The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) is a research center at Texas State University, tasked in Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code and the Governor’s Homeland Security Strategic Plan with key school safety initiatives and mandates. The TxSSC serves as a clearinghouse for safety and security information through research, training, and technical assistance for K-12 schools, charter schools, and junior colleges in Texas.

The Texas Education Code requires school districts to complete safety and security audits of their facilities once every three years and report those finding to the TxSSC. Findings from the safety and security audits are compiled into a statewide report, which provides key results of the safety and security audits completed by Texas public school districts. The TxSSC is also charged with the review and verification of Multi-hazard Emergency Operation Plan for school districts.