HB33 provides Texas schools with funding to strengthen safety planning, training, and protective measures. This guide explains what it covers, how to use it effectively, and how protective equipment fits into a broader safety strategy.
HB33, also known as the Uvalde Strong Act, is Texas legislation introduced to strengthen school safety following the Uvalde school shooting.
It increases funding for school safety initiatives, strengthens preparedness expectations, and improves coordination between schools and law enforcement.
The intent is not just compliance, it’s to ensure schools are better prepared to respond to emergencies in a structured, effective way.
Schools are expected to understand their environment before making funding decisions. This includes identifying vulnerabilities, reviewing entry points, and assessing communication challenges.
Funding supports the development of documented response plans covering lockdown procedures, evacuation protocols, communication systems, and coordination with first responders.
HB33 reinforces the importance of people, not just tools. Funding may support School Resource Officers, staff safety training, emergency drills, and coordination with local law enforcement.
Funding can be used for access control, surveillance, physical barriers, and protective equipment – provided these measures are integrated into a broader layered safety strategy.
A common mistake is to treat funding as a checklist: “What can we buy?” A more effective approach is: “What do we need, based on our risks and response plans?”
Step 1: Assess Identify risks and vulnerabilities within your school environment. Understanding your specific gaps is the foundation for all funding decisions.
Step 2: Plan Define how your school will respond in different scenarios. Clear documented plans ensure decisions during emergencies are guided, not improvised.
Step 3: Equip Select tools and resources that support those plans. Consider who will realistically need to use them. Equipment should be accessible to all trained staff, not just the most physically capable.
Step 4: Train Ensure staff understand their roles, responsibilities, and procedures. Equipment is only effective when the people using it are prepared and confident.
Step 5: Review Continuously update plans as environments and risks evolve. Consider whether equipment remains accessible, maintained, and integrated into updated procedures. Equipment with long-term warranties, such as GC Patrol Shield’s 10-year warranty, supports planning confidence over time.
For SROs and school security staff, read our guides to active shooter preparedness in schools and ballistic shield placement in schools to ensure your HB33 funded equipment is fully integrated into your preparedness programme. For administrators and procurement officers, read our guide to school security planning and duty of care.
When aligned with planning and training, protective equipment can:
But it does not:
GC Patrol Shield is designed to support schools as part of a broader safety strategy, not as a standalone solution, but as one layer within a structured approach.
In the context of HB33, it may qualify under protective equipment funding categories and can support trained personnel during response scenarios, integrate into lockdown and evacuation procedures, and provide a practical option for coordinated response.
At ~20 lbs, GC Patrol Shield can be deployed by any trained staff member, not just physically fit officers or frontline law enforcement. In a school environment where your response team may include administrators, security staff, and SROs with varying physical capabilities, this matters. The right equipment shouldn’t limit who can use it.
HB33 funding supports school safety improvements, including planning, training, personnel, and protective measures.
Yes, in many cases, but it should be integrated into broader safety planning and supported by training and documented procedures.
No. Schools have flexibility to allocate funding based on their own risk assessments and safety plans.
Start with risk assessment and planning, then invest in training and tools that support those plans.
No. It improves preparedness and response capability, but no measure can eliminate all risk.
GC works with schools to understand how protective measures fit into their broader safety strategy. Talk to us about how GC Patrol Shield supports your HB33 planning.