‘Are you going to make this right?’ Parents question Uvalde CISD board at public meeting

UVALDE, Texas — The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District held a group meeting Monday evening, promising to pay attention up entrance earlier than listening to greater than three hours of feedback from college mother and father. 

“We are here to listen to you,” board Vice President Luis Fernandez earlier than turning the proceedings over to Superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell. 

Harrell stated that the final meeting was “too formal” and that this Monday meeting can be an “open-format” the place individuals can voice their issues. “I did not do well,” he stated about not having this type of open meeting sooner.

“We have a lot to say and we won’t be silenced and we won’t be stopped,” stated a Uvalde resident, including that there wouldn’t be a time restrict within the meeting on discussing their issues. “Nobody has accepted accountability, so we’re going to force y’all to.”

Several individuals yelled, “Shame on you!” relating to Pete Arredondo nonetheless being employed with the Uvalde college system. When requested if he will probably be fired, Harrell stated, “He is on administrative leave.”

A mom of 4 Uvalde youngsters informed the board, “You need to clean house. Hire experienced, trained officers who are prepared to take on the responsibility to protect our children. Not people who are complacent.”

She continued discussing certainly one of her kid’s concern about returning to college. “What are you going to do about your failures? Are you going to make this right?”

Harrell stated he “lies awake at night” making an attempt to work out how to enhance, and he stated he worries about what will be executed to “secure our campuses for your children and regain that trust.”

This was the college board’s first meeting for the reason that launch of a Texas House committee’s report on what went fallacious through the response to the mass capturing at Robb Elementary School on May 24.

In one his newest newest replace to Uvalde CISD households, Harrell talked about adjustments to the beforehand introduced grade degree alignment and a request to delay the beginning of faculty.

His letter additionally included various updates on different college points. 

Since the mass capturing at Robb Elementary on May 24 when 19 youngsters and two lecturers had been killed, the district has been planning adjustments to transfer Robb Elementary college students to different campuses. The Robb Elementary School constructing is ready to be demolished. 

Here are a number of the superintendent’s beforehand introduced updates:

The district stated changes had been made to the place the scholars will probably be housed within the 2022-2023 college 12 months.

Below are the adjustments the district introduced Wednesday:

● The Uvalde Elementary campus, Benson Educational Complex, will serve third and fourth grades beneath the path of the lecturers, help workers, and directors from Robb Elementary.

● Flores Elementary will serve college students within the fifth and sixth grade. The lecturers, help workers, and directors at Flores Elementary will stay in place.

● Crossroads Academy will probably be relocated to 537 E. Oppenheimer Street. This facility will meet the Academy’s distinctive wants for a versatile college day with a deal with individualized studying plans.

Previously, the district had the Robb college students break up between Dalton and Flores Elementary.

The district stated counselors with specialised backgrounds in trauma and grief will probably be obtainable to serve college students and workers at all district campuses.

A 2022-2023 college 12 months calendar adjustment will probably be proposed at the Monday, July 18, Uvalde CISD Board Meeting. The delay will enable us to higher tackle workers and pupil wants for a profitable college 12 months.

We proceed to work in coordination with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) to conduct a complete security and safety audit of all district property. These businesses have supplied the district with preliminary suggestions for enhancing security and safety infrastructure, which we’re taking motion with $1 million in funding donated by the Las Vegas Raiders. Current initiatives embrace:

● Installation of latest perimeter fencing

● Addition of safety cameras

● Upgrading of doorways, door locks, and entry factors

● Hiring extra district law enforcement officials and safety personnel

Harrell additionally issued an announcement on the interim report. He says the report reinforces deliberate security and safety enhancements to faculties.

The almost 80-page report was launched as the primary to criticize each state and federal regulation enforcement, and never simply native authorities, within the South Texas city for the bewildering inaction by closely armed officers.

Nearly 400 regulation enforcement officers rushed to the mass capturing, however “egregiously poor decision-making” resulted in additional than an hour of chaos earlier than the gunman who took 21 lives was lastly confronted and killed, in accordance to the investigative report launched Sunday.

Also, Uvalde CISD acquired a $1 million donation from the Las Vegas Raiders. The donation will exchange quick chain-link with tall wrought-iron. It’ll improve UCISD’s 750 doorways, and put cameras exterior college buildings.

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