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The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) in Texas had many security measures in place before Tuesday’s mass shooting that left at least 18 students and a teacher dead after a now-deceased suspect opened fire at Robb Elementary School.
The now-deceased suspect, Salvador Romas, is accused of entering school grounds on Tuesday and opening fire, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
UCISD’s website states that the district has “proponents to curb and/or eliminate” elements of” violence, vandalism, disruptions and fear” in its schools to “provide a safe and secure environment for all.”
TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING: LIVE UPDATES
Those proponents include four officers, including a chief, a detective and two officers within the school district; partnerships with local law enforcement agencies; security staff that patrols door entrances and parking lots at secondary campuses; case managers and social workers on UCISD campuses; licensed counselors; threat assessment teams; social media threat monitoring; a visitor management security system; canine detection services; motion detectors and alarm systems; perimeter fencing at Robb and other schools; security vestibules and outside buzz-in systems; security cameras; a locked classroom door policy; staff and student training; and a threat reporting system.
The district states that it uses a service called Social Sentinel “to monitor all social media with a connection to Uvalde as a measure to identify any possible threats that might be made against students and or staff within the school district.”
Law enforcement personnel stand outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
(AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
It also encourages “[s]tudents, parents, staff, and community members are encouraged to share information that is deemed troubling” with the district using a reporting system” so that it can “take appropriate action.”
UVALDE, TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING: 18 STUDENTS, ONE ADULT KILLED, SUSPECTED SHOOTER DEAD
Tuesday’s shooting marked the deadliest shooting at an elementary school since Sandy Hook in 2021. It also occurred 10 days after a mass shooting at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, claimed 10 lives.
The school district first reported the school lockdown at 11:43 a.m. local time. The shooter was likely killed by responding officers but an investigation is still ongoing, according to authorities.
People leave the Uvalde Civic Center Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
(AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
As the incident unfolded, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin told Fox News that the shooter had been barricaded inside. The school, located 80 miles west of San Antonio, serves students in the second, third and fourth grades.
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The district initially asked parents not to pick up their children and that students needed to be accounted for before being released. Parents were notified to pick up their children around 2 p.m.
All district and campus activities, including after-school programs and events have been canceled. Parents were being asked to pick up their children at their regular dismissal times at their school campus. School bus transportation has also been canceled.
Fox News’ Greg Norman and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
