Uvalde CISD again under fire again for incomplete Robb Elementary shooting records release

UVALDE, Texas – For the second time in less than a month, Uvalde CISD is accused of failing to fully comply with a court order to release records from the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.

Related: Exclusive video clears teacher wrongly accused of propping door in Uvalde school shooting

Another step in the fight for transparency in Uvalde, as we’ve worked for years to get all the records related to the Robb Elementary shooting.

An attorney representing multiple media outlets sent a letter to the district on Sept. 5. It says the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s latest document release is still missing key information – nearly one million pages.

Attorneys argue that the district has withheld emails, text messages, and phone records from top school officials, and in some cases produced only summaries of communications rather than the records themselves. They point to missing attachments from emails, gaps in correspondence involving former school police chief Pete Arredondo, and unanswered questions about maintenance records for classroom doors and locks.

Related: Uvalde school officials withhold key emails on 2022 Robb Elementary shooting, reports say

The withheld documents missed a court-ordered deadline, after a number of deficiencies we found. At Monday night’s Uvalde CISD board meeting, families and survivors told trustees that apologies aren’t good enough.

Are you all not tired of this already? This is exhausting,” said former Robb Elementary School Teacher, Amy Franco. “This is like never-ending lies, betrayal and coverups.

Franco was accused of leaving a door propped open on the day of the Robb Elementary shooting, allowing the shooter easy entry on May 24, 2022.

We have exclusive video showing that’s not true. That video didn’t come from the district despite that court order.

I don’t speak about this much, because I don’t want to be labeled suicidal,” she said tearfully to the board. “Because none of y’all in here know what it’s like behind closed doors in my house… nights that I don’t sleep.

UCISD was supposed to release all records related to the Robb Elementary shooting. The board voted unanimously to do that in an emotional meeting on July 21.

After they were notified about the missing records — the board voted unanimously to release everything on Aug. 25. That night, attorneys for the district admitted they made a mistake by not releasing all the records. To date, the district has released around 30,000 pages. We still don’t have everything.

Layla Salazar is one of the children killed on the day of the shooting. Her grandfather urged the district to stop dragging the process out — reminding trustees of how much he’s lost since that tragic day three years ago.

In the past three years, I lost my granddaughter — I lost my mother.. and I was with my wife at the cemetery that just passed away. All because she was heartbroken for her granddaughter, Layla,” he said.

Earlier reports revealed that some of the withheld documents included warnings that classroom doors couldn’t lock properly, written months before the shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Another unreleased record reportedly showed the district discussing a settlement with Arredondo’s attorney.

At a Uvalde CISD meeting on Monday, Franco expressed her frustrations with the district over the ongoing release of the records. She accused the board and superintendent of disrespecting the community and demanded their resignation.

Related: Exclusive video clears teacher wrongly accused of propping door in Uvalde school shooting

“I don’t want to be represented by liars. I wish I didn’t have to say this, but at this point, I have to say it: not one of you deserves a seat on the board,” she said.

A recent record release cleared Franco of previous accusations from the Department of Public Safety that she had left a door propped open, which allowed the shooter to enter the school on the day of the massacre.

Trustees unanimously voted to bring on a new law firm, Thompson Horton. They questioned representatives about how they’ll help them to maintain the transparency we’ve heard promises of several times.

They spent around two hours in executive session with the new attorneys discussing the release of the remaining records; but took no new action — saying they’ll uphold the unanimous vote from the past two meetings.

The board will ‘transition’ away from its current firm Walsh Gallegos but did not vote to formally terminate the relationship.

The board will discuss how to navigate that transition at a later meeting — there’s no specific date on when that will happen.