School Safety Updates: The Uvalde Strong Act and Mental Health Changes for Texas Campuses

On May 24, 2022, twenty-one people — nineteen children and two teachers — were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The tragedy exposed failures at every level of emergency response and forced the state to confront hard questions about how Texas schools prepare for, prevent, and respond to threats on campus.

The legislative answer came in the form of HB 33, the Uvalde Strong Act, signed into law and effective September 1, 2025. Alongside it, SB 207 quietly changed how Texas schools handle student absences for mental health care — a smaller bill, but one with real daily impact in classrooms.

This post breaks down both laws in practical terms. No political commentary. Just what has changed, what you will see on your campus, and what you should do as a Texas educator to be prepared.

The Uvalde Strong Act (HB 33): What Changed

The Uvalde Strong Act is the most significant school safety legislation Texas has passed in years. It touches physical equipment, emergency planning, communication infrastructure, law enforcement coordination, drill standards, and public information capacity. Here is what the law requires.

Breaching Tools and Ballistic Shields on Every Campus

Every Texas campus must now have at least one breaching tool and one ballistic shield on site. This requirement exists because responding officers in Uvalde were delayed partly due to a lack of immediate access to equipment needed to enter a locked classroom.

You may see new equipment stored in designated locations on your campus. These items are intended for law enforcement or trained security personnel — not classroom teachers. But your campus is now required by law to have them available. If you have not seen or heard anything about this, that is a reasonable question to raise with your administration.

Enhanced Multi-Hazard Emergency Operations Plans

Texas schools have been required to maintain emergency operations plans for years. HB 33 raises the bar on what those plans must include. Specifically, plans must now address five phases of emergency management:

Prevention — measures to avoid an incident from occurring
Mitigation — steps to reduce the impact if an incident does occur
Preparedness — training, drills, and resource positioning before an incident
Response — actions taken during an active incident
Recovery — support and restoration after an incident concludes

If your campus previously had a plan that focused mostly on “what do we do during a lockdown,” the new law pushes districts to think much more broadly. Prevention and recovery are now required components, not optional add-ons. If your administration has not yet shared updated plans with staff, ask about the timeline.

Safety and Security Audits Every Three Years

HB 33 requires safety and security audits of all district facilities at least once every three years. These audits examine the physical security of buildings — door hardware, window vulnerabilities, entry points, camera coverage, and fencing.

You may see auditors on your campus and physical changes as a result of their findings: upgraded locks, new cameras, modified entry procedures. If you notice security gaps — a door that does not lock, a blind spot in coverage, an exterior door routinely propped open — report it to your administration. You do not have to wait for the audit cycle to flag a concern.

Immediate Communication Capabilities in Every Classroom

This is one of the requirements most likely to affect your daily routine. HB 33 mandates that every classroom must have the capability for immediate communication with emergency services. This can be satisfied through cell phones, electronic communication devices, or other means that allow a teacher to contact 911 or campus security without leaving the classroom.

For some campuses, this was already the case. For others, this is a new requirement that may result in revised teacher cell phone policies, installation of classroom panic buttons, or distribution of radios and dedicated communication tools.

What this means for you: If you do not currently have a reliable way to contact emergency services from inside your locked classroom, raise this with your administration immediately. The law requires it. You should not be in a situation where your only option during an emergency is to leave your room to find help.

Annual Law Enforcement Coordination for Active Shooter Planning

HB 33 requires each school to hold annual meetings with state and local law enforcement specifically to plan active shooter response. These are structured planning sessions focused on how officers will respond to your specific campus — not general introductions.

You may or may not be directly involved, but you should see the outcomes reflected in your safety procedures: clearer protocols for how law enforcement will enter your building, updated guidance on what teachers should expect from responding officers, and campus-specific response strategies based on your building’s layout.

Standardized Emergency Drills and Response Terminology

Texas schools must now conduct emergency drills using standardized response terminology. First responders, substitute teachers, and students who transfer between schools all benefit from a common vocabulary. When a student hears “lockdown,” it should mean the same thing regardless of which Texas school they attend.

Expect your campus to adopt or update its emergency language, train all staff on the standardized terms, and post terminology in visible locations. Know the difference between lockdown, lockout, shelter-in-place, and evacuation. Practice the response, not just the vocabulary.

Certified Public Information Officer Access

Every school must now have access to a Public Information Officer (PIO) certified in emergency communications with annual continuing education. The PIO manages official communication during and after a crisis — coordinating with media, informing families, and ensuring accurate information reaches the public.

This requirement exists because of the confusion that spread during and after the Uvalde shooting, when families waited hours without clear information. For teachers, this means there should be a clearer chain of communication during emergencies. Know who your district PIO is, and understand that official communication goes through that person — not through individual social media posts.

SB 207: Mental Health Absence Excusal

While HB 33 addresses physical safety, SB 207 addresses something just as important for your students’ wellbeing: the ability to seek mental health care without being penalized for attendance.

What the Law Does

Effective for the 2025-26 school year, SB 207 requires Texas schools to excuse student absences for appointments with mental health professionals — under the same conditions that already apply to physical health appointments.

The conditions are straightforward:

The student must begin classes or return to school on the same day as the appointment
The absence must be for an appointment with a licensed mental health professional

That is it. If a student can currently leave school for a doctor’s appointment and have it counted as an excused absence, that same student can now leave for a therapy appointment under the same terms.

Why This Matters

Before SB 207, mental health appointments existed in a gray area. Some districts excused them; others did not. The inconsistency meant students seeking mental health care sometimes faced attendance consequences — or families avoided scheduling appointments during school hours entirely.

SB 207 eliminates the ambiguity. Mental health and physical health are treated equally in attendance policy. The bill passed the Texas House 141-0, reflecting broad recognition that students struggling emotionally cannot learn effectively. Removing attendance penalties for mental health care is common sense.

What This Looks Like in Your Classroom

In practice, SB 207 means:

Students may leave for part of the day for therapy or counseling appointments. They will either arrive late or leave early and return, just like they would for a dentist appointment.
These absences are excused. They should not count against the student for attendance-based consequences, including any campus or district policies tied to absence totals.
You do not need to verify the nature of the appointment. The attendance office handles excusal documentation, not the classroom teacher. If a student has a note or parent communication for a mental health appointment, it flows through the same process as any other medical absence.
Normalize it. The single most powerful thing you can do as a teacher is treat mental health absences with the same matter-of-fact attitude you would treat a student leaving for a doctor visit. No questions in front of the class. No raised eyebrows. Just a simple acknowledgment and a plan for the student to pick up what they missed.

The Bigger Picture

SB 207 signals a cultural shift. For years, Texas educators have watched student mental health needs grow — especially after the pandemic. Giving students a clear, penalty-free path to professional help is one concrete step toward addressing that reality.

If you work with students who could benefit from mental health support, this is something tangible to share with families. Some parents hesitate to schedule therapy during school hours because they worry about attendance consequences. You can now tell them, clearly and accurately, that the law protects those absences.

What Teachers Should Do Now

These laws are already in effect. Here is what you can do to make sure you are informed and prepared.

1. Review Your Campus Emergency Operations Plan

Ask your principal or safety coordinator for the updated multi-hazard emergency operations plan. It should reflect the HB 33 requirements — prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Read it thoroughly. Know the specific procedures for your campus, your building, and your classroom.

2. Confirm Your Classroom Communication Capability

Can you contact emergency services from inside your locked classroom right now? If the answer is no, raise it with your administration immediately. HB 33 requires this. If your campus has provided a communication device, test it. A tool you have never used under calm conditions will not help you under stress.

3. Participate Fully in Updated Drills

When your campus conducts emergency drills with the new standardized terminology, treat them seriously. Practice the physical movements — locking your door, positioning students, communicating with the front office. Teach your students the terms and expected responses. Practice until the response is automatic.

4. Know Where Safety Equipment Is Located

You do not need to operate a ballistic shield or breaching tool. But you should know that these items exist on your campus and have a general awareness of where emergency equipment is stored. Ask your safety coordinator during the next staff meeting.

5. Understand the Mental Health Absence Policy

Know that SB 207 exists and what it means. When a student is absent for a mental health appointment and returns the same day, that absence is excused — full stop. If you encounter a situation where a student or parent is confused about whether mental health absences are excused, you can confidently clarify.

Keep a copy of your campus attendance procedures handy. If you notice a mental health absence being coded incorrectly, flag it for your attendance clerk.

6. Talk to Your Students

You do not need to deliver a lecture on HB 33. But age-appropriate conversations about safety matter. Students should know what the emergency terms mean, that drills are practice, that your classroom has a plan, and that seeking help for mental health is normal and protected by law. Keep it simple for younger students. Be more direct with older ones.

7. Document and Report Concerns

If you see security gaps — doors that do not lock, communication dead zones, missing equipment — report them in writing to your administration. Do not assume someone else has reported it. Put it in writing. Follow up.

Looking Forward

The Uvalde Strong Act does not guarantee that a tragedy will never happen again. No law can promise that. But it establishes a baseline of preparedness, equipment, communication, and coordination that every Texas campus must now meet. It takes the lessons learned from the worst day in Uvalde and translates them into concrete requirements that apply statewide.

SB 207, meanwhile, acknowledges a quieter crisis — the mental health needs of Texas students — and removes one barrier to getting help.

Both laws prioritize the safety and wellbeing of the people inside Texas schools. You deserve to teach in a building that is prepared for emergencies and supportive of every student’s health. Your students deserve to learn in that environment.

Stay informed. Ask questions. Practice your drills. Support your students. That is the work.

For more on supporting student success in Texas classrooms, explore our guides on TIA designation and STAAR preparation strategies.