UVALDE –The standoff between CISD Uvalde and parents of Robb Elementary School shooting victims escalated after the district went further by installing fencing and restricting media access.
Friday marked the fourth day of the protest by parents, who have remained outside the district office since Tuesday. They are demanding that UCISD suspend district officers who stood in the hallway for 77 minutes during the May 24 mass shooting.
Brett Cross, Uziyah Garcia’s guardian, spoke with CISD Superintendent Uvalde Hal Harrell one-on-one on Thursday. However, Harrell will not budge.
Shortly after this meeting, the district began installing fencing near the entrance to the district office. On Friday, Harrell announced in a letter to families in the district that the installation was almost complete, minus the delivery of the doors and a few other parts.
“They will be installed as soon as they are available to us,” Harrell said. “The contractor is currently installing two gates in the central office building as it progresses the district’s security upgrade plan. Additionally, cameras and access control systems are being installed. installation on campuses.
In addition to the installation of the fence, Harrell said the media are prohibited from entering the area unless accompanied by the district administration.
He said in the letter that these decisions were made in an effort to find “the end of the disruption”.
“We shared our willingness to meet with the individuals to address their concerns, but to date only one has accepted our offer,” Harrell said in the letter. “We do not condone the behavior of this group and seek to end the disruption.”
Cross is joined at district headquarters by his wife, Nikki, and other relatives of victims, including Gloria Cazares, mother of Jackie Cazares, and Berlinda Arreola, grandmother of Amerie Garza.
Their protest began Tuesday morning, when families camped outside the district office, played their children’s audio and screened home videos on the side of a building.
In a Twitter post Thursday morning, Cross live-streamed his meeting with Harrell. After asking why he hadn’t suspended the five officers yet, Harrell said they had to stay in the district for security reasons.
He also added that an investigation was ongoing and an audit would be carried out this week.
On Friday evening, the protest exceeded 80 hours, with no end in sight.
Harrell and other district officials have not spoken to families since Thursday.
“We want to assure you that there is no cause for alarm as the group is focused on district administration. We never had reason to believe they would be campus-focused,” Harrell said.
Harrell said that in the meantime, the district is looking for state or local partners to manage the protest and “restore peace.”
The partners mentioned by Harrell have not been identified.
You can read the full letter below:
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