Texas lawmakers OK former Uvalde mayor's effort to fix police failures
in Robb Elementary attack
[May 20, 2025]
By JIM VERTUNO
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas lawmakers on Monday passed a plan sponsored
by Uvalde’s former mayor to fix police failures laid bare by the
hesitant law enforcement response to the Robb Elementary School shooting
in 2022, sending the bill to the governor days ahead of the third
anniversary of the massacre.
Nineteen students and two teachers were killed and 18 people were
injured in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. Saturday
is the anniversary of the attack.
The measure given final approval by the state Senate and sent to Gov.
Greg Abbott is dubbed the “The Uvalde Strong Act” and is meant to
correct the problems in the slow and often chaotic law enforcement
response that day with better training and coordination between agencies
and basic equipment requirements.
Nearly 400 local, state and federal officers waited more than an hour to
force their way into a classroom where the gunman was before killing
him. Terrified students inside the classroom called 911 as parents
begged officers — some of whom could hear shots being fired while they
stood in a hallway — to go in.
The bill's author, first-year Republican state Rep. Don McLaughlin, was
Uvalde mayor at the time and was critical of the law enforcement
response that day.
“The Uvalde Strong Act is aimed at fixing the breakdowns in
communication and coordination that were exposed in the Robb Elementary
shooting,” McLaughlin said. “This is about keeping our schools safer.
... We owe it to the families to take action that really matters.”
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Flowers are placed around a welcome sign outside Robb Elementary
School in Uvalde, Texas, May 25, 2022, to honor the victims killed
in a shooting at the school. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
The bill requires school districts and law enforcement to meet
annually to develop active shooter response plans, and mandates
officers be trained on how to respond to an active shooter at
primary and secondary schools.
The measure also requires enhanced incident command training and
mutual aid agreements among agencies.
School districts would be required to have at least one breaching
tool and ballistic shield available at each campus. And the bill
requires emergency medical service providers to file reports if they
are called to an active shooter scene.
Multiple investigations into the law enforcement response found
cascading problems in training, communication, leadership and
technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own
lives over those of children and teachers.
Former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo and former
school police officer Adrian Gonzales have been charged with
multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment. Both have
pleaded not guilty and are scheduled for trial in October.
The families of the victims have several lawsuits pending in federal
and state courts, including a $500 million lawsuit against Texas
state police officials and officers.
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