Schools across the U.S. have increased police presence following the Uvalde shooting
Following the devastating mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, many school districts across the U.S. have increased their police presence.
In Texas, Austin Interdisciplinary School District said for the rest of this week, there would be "additional officers on patrol and supplementing coverage on campuses," after the Uvalde shooting. The district also said they would increase security at their graduation ceremonies.
The district assured families that access to school doors is restricted, and only authorized key cards can unlock them. "Our police officers monitor social media and respond to every single threat posted online," the district said in a statement on Facebook.
The district recently received a $2 million grant to install bullet-resistant material at the entryways of all schools, which would be completed by summer.
Other Texas towns, like Corpus Christi and Grand Prairie, also shared plans on Facebook for increased police safety at schools.
Martin County School District in Florida, which includes 12 elementary schools and 13 middle and high schools, said Wednesday on Facebook that it had partnered with local law enforcement to increase presence in and around its schools. The district was also making counselors available, because "students will process this news in different ways."
The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General directed law enforcement to increase their presence at schools throughout the state following the shooting. Several New Jersey police departments, including Harrison, Point Pleasant, Stafford Township and Howell, posted messages about their increased presence at schools on Facebook as well.
From South Kingston Police Department in Rhode Island to Danville Police Department in California, social media was flooded with similar notices about increased police presence at schools. Many school districts reassured families they already have officers on campuses.
The mass shooting at Robb Elementary school, which killed at least 19 kids and two adults, is just the latest in a disturbing trend of mass shootings in the U.S. Earlier this month, 10 people were killed in a racially motivated mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.
The Uvalde shooting is the second largest elementary school shooting, following the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, where 28 people died.
There are new questions surrounding the police presence at Robb Elementary the day of the shooting. After the shooting began, bystanders urged police officers to go into the school, the Associated Press reports.
"Go in there! Go in there!" one women shouted, recounted Juan Carranza, who lives across the street from the school. He said the officers did not go in.
One father said he arrived at the school shorting after he heard about the shooting, and that officers were still gathered outside the building. His fourth grade daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, was killed.
The 18-year-old gunman's rampage lasted upwards of 40 minutes, before a Border Patrol team shot and killed him.
