Gov. Greg Abbott will host the second roundtable discussion to address safety and security at Texas schools Wednesday afternoon -- part of a three-part series of talk because of deadly gun violence that killed 10 people and injured 13 others last week at Santa Fe High School.
The roundtable -- at the Texas State Capitol, in the governor's Public Reception Room -- will feature school officials, interest groups that advocate for and against further gun regulations and mental-health experts from across the state.
It will begin at 1:30 p.m.
Advocates for and against stricter gun regulations have been asked to attend today's talks. Tuesday's opening session ran well beyond the scheduled time -- and some have suggested that the same thing will happen for this roundtable.
Here are the people attending today's session:
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Joe Straus, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.
Charles Schwertner, Texas State Senator (R-Georgetown), Chair of Senate Health & Human Services Committee.
Eddie Lucio Jr., Texas State Senator (D-Brownsville), Chair of Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
Four Price, Texas House of Representatives (R-Amarillo), Chair of House Public Health Committee.
Richard Raymond, Texas House of Representatives (D-Laredo), Chair of House Human Services Committee.
Mike Morath, Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency.
Judge David Newell, Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals - Former Fort Bend and Harris County Assistant District Attorney.
John Bremer, Emergency Management Coordinator for Katy ISD - Expert in emergency management, public health engineering and occupational health. Will provide perspective on new ways school districts are keeping student safe.
Chance Freeman, Director of the Hurricane Harvey Crisis Counseling Program at the Health and Human Services Commission – Will speak on crisis counseling and training.
Rhonda Hunter, Juvenile Division Chief for the Dallas County District Attorney Office – Will speak to mental health issues in the juvenile justice field.
Michelle Kinder, Executive Director Momentous Institute – Expert in the field of children's mental health. Will provide perspective on student emotional health.
Nick Manos, Senior VP Central Division, Young Life – Will speak to partnering with school district to address student emotional and spiritual needs.
Kathy Martinez-Prather, Director of the Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University, will provide expertise on the current statutory school safety requirements and how those requirements are implemented across the state.
Billy Phillips, Texas Tech University – Will speak on the university’s Telemedicine Wellness, Intervention, Triage, and Referral (TWITR) project.
Ed Scruggs, Board Vice-Chair of Texas Gun Sense – Advocacy group that promotes common sense, evidence-based policies to reduce gun injuries and deaths. Will speak about gun reform ideas.
Sheriff Jim Skinner, Collin County Sheriff's Office – Sheriff’s office that actively engages in social media monitoring in law enforcement. Administers the North Central Texas Fusion Center that coordinates inter-agency response and threat assessment. Former Collin County Assistant District Attorney and Air Force SWAT operator.
Candace Stolz, Director of Emergency Management for the Texas Education Agency, will provide a statewide perspective on the safety issues facing all Texas schools.
Jeri Stone, Executive Director of Texas Classroom Teachers Association – Will provide perspective on how school safety and other school violence issues impact Texas teachers and students perspective.
Dr. Jeff Temple, Director of Behavioral Health and Research at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston – Will speak about school violence and prevention.
Alice Tripp, Legislative Director of the Texas State Rifle Association – Organization deeply committed to youth safety and involvement, and extensive knowledge of existing gun laws.
Tom Torkelson, CEO and Founder of Individuals Dedicated to Excellence and Achievement (IDEA) Public Schools – Organization comprised of 51 charter schools and more than more than 30,000 students. Will provide perspective on how schools can successfully engage with parents.
Melissa Tucker, CEO of Gulf Coast Center – Will speak on responding to the mental health needs in Santa Fe.
Chris Wade, Ralls ISD Superintendent – School district that implements the Telemedicine Wellness, Intervention, Triage, and Referral (TWITR) program. Can provide perspective on how districts are meeting the mental and behavioral health needs of students.