Gov. Abbott provides $1.25M grant to Uvalde ISD for trauma-informed counseling

HOUSTON – Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that the Public Safety Office is providing $1.25 million to the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District.

The funds will provide counseling, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention and community outreach efforts for students and faculty affected by the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. These state financial resources will also establish a district-wide, trauma-informed counseling program to ensure Uvalde students receive support services and counseling within the UCISD.

“As the community of Uvalde continues to heal, Texas continues working to help improve security and aid in the recovery among students and educators,” said Abbott. “This new source of funding will provide critical support to students, staff, and faculty in Uvalde as they continue to process the trauma from that day and grieve for the innocent lives lost. Working together, the Uvalde CISD will be better equipped to offer the assistance and resources the community needs to heal.”

The governor’s PSO administers federal and state grant funding to promote strategies that improve public safety, support victims of crime, prevent terrorism, and prepare communities for the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk to Texans.

Abbott’s office said it has taken several actions to provide resources to support the Uvalde community following the shooting at Robb Elementary School:

• Initiating the State of Texas’ comprehensive plan to assist and support members of the community, including co-locating state agency representatives to the Family Assistance Center for on-hand assistance in finding benefits.
• Investing an initial $5 million to establish a long-term Family Resiliency Center in Uvalde County to serve as a hub for community services, including access to critical mental health resources.
• Working with the OneStar Foundation to create a one-stop webpage for donations to support the victims’ families, teachers, and the Uvalde community.
• Directing the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to ensure all children in Uvalde have access to behavioral health resources and community support.
• Providing $105.5 million to enhance school safety and mental health services in Uvalde and throughout Texas.
• Issuing a disaster declaration to accelerate all available state and local resources to assist the Uvalde community.
• Requesting Texas legislative leaders convene special legislative committees to begin examining and developing legislative recommendations on school safety, mental health, social media, police training, firearm safety, and more.
• Directing the Texas School Safety Center to begin immediately conducting comprehensive school safety reviews to ensure all Texas public schools are following the appropriate procedures to maximize school safety.
• Directing the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to provide strategies to make Texas public schools safer through heightened safety standards.
• Instructing the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training programs to provide training to all school districts across the state, prioritizing school-based law enforcement.
• Directing TEA, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Department of Public Safety to expand and accelerate the ability to report suspicious activity through the iWatchTexas reporting system.
• Directing TEA to create a new Chief of School Safety and Security position within the agency.