Governor Calls for College Safety Measures

Governor Greg Abbott is calling for new college safety measures following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

According to information from Governor Abbott's office, the Governor sent a letter this week to Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Commissioner Raymund Paredes, calling for "immediate action to address and ensure the safety of Texas' college campuses." The Governor issued the statement directed at increasing safety at colleges and universities in Texas, namely public community college campuses.

Initiatives ordered by Governor Abbott include:

• "Catalog and share all available information from TSSC on college campus safety, and distribute this information to all public junior college districts and universities.

• Ensure that all public junior college districts are in compliance with statutorily required school safety audits and multi-hazard emergency operations plans.

• Publish on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) Website and via agency press release a list of any public junior college districts that do not satisfy the requirements of their 2015 audit referenced in point two above within 45 days of notice by THECB. 

• Ensure that all public junior college districts have made satisfactory progress toward completion of their statutorily required safety and security audits, due September 15, 2018."

Governor Abbott also called on Higher Education Commissioners to work with the Texas Legislature to ensure the safety of college students.

The directive comes almost a week after Governor Abbott announced a similar initiative to increase safety at Texas high schools.

For more information, please visit gov.texas.gov.