(NewsNation) — Security upgrades were made in the school district that is home to Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, following a 2018 school shooting elsewhere in the state, but those upgrades may not have come into play during Tuesday’s tragic events.
Public records in Uvalde examined by NewsNation show about $435,000 of the school district’s $40 million budget for 2021-22 went toward “security and monitoring” services, including the employment of six officers to protect and monitor the schools.
In addition, there were security infrastructure advancements in a number of the schools.
In August of 2019, Uvalde High School had a new visitors entrance installed, including new doors with electric strikes — electromagnetic door locks for areas of high security. Similarly, in 2020, Morales Elementary School had a set of doors replaced as well.
No major upgrades were found at Robb Elementary.
In addition, a document from the 2019-2020 school year included proposals to address “problems of violence, vandalism, disruptions and fear … so that we may provide a safe and secure environment for all.” That document lists measures in place to protect schools including social media monitoring, student training and drills, a bullying alert system, and partnerships with local law enforcement.
One former teacher at Robb Elementary told NewsNation’s “Rush Hour” she went though some of those drills.
On a related note, a photo posted to the local police department’s Facebook shows a Uvalde SWAT team, which, the posting suggested, was going into schools to train and instruct students on what to do in an active-shooter situation. It is the last-known photo of the SWAT team NewsNation could find.