Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday the Department of Public Safety will be a law enforcement presence throughout the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District in the upcoming school year.
The DPS security presence of more than 30 state police officers was requested by Uvalde CISD Superintendent Hal Harrell, Abbott said in a news release. The 2022-23 school year will begin Sept. 6.
The announcement comes less than a month after a Texas House committee report revealed DPS made up 91 of the 376 law enforcement officers who responded to the May 24 shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School.
It was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.
“As a new school year begins, we must ensure students, parents, and all dedicated school personnel can look forward to new opportunities to learn and grow,” Abbott wrote in the release. “Texas will keep working to provide all available support and resources to the Uvalde community as they continue to heal.”
Law enforcement has been heavily criticized for the response in Uvalde. Eighty minutes passed between the first call to 911 and when police confronted the shooter, who fired at least 142 rounds, according to a timeline from Texas Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw.
“We know going back to school will be especially challenging for many in Uvalde,” McCraw said in the news release. “The Texas Department of Public Safety is committed to working with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District to ensure each child, parent, and teacher feels safe and protected during this difficult time. There is no task more important than this.”
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, sued DPS in June for refusing to disclose records related to the shooting, accusing the agency of covering up details about the police response and violating the Texas Public Information Act for not responding to a request his office filed on May 31.
A judge denied his request to order DPS to release information Wednesday “on the technical grounds that the information should be submitted differently,” Gutierrez said in a statement, adding he plans to appeal and resubmit his request.
“Governor Abbott’s administration is going to every extreme not only to withhold basic information about the Uvalde massacre, but to paint a narrative that absolves the Texas Department of Public Safety of responsibility for the horrid response to the Uvalde shooting,” Gutierrez wrote in the statement.
“True justice requires transparency, accountability, and a commitment to solutions. I will do everything in my power to bring justice for this community.”
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