Some Uvalde school security improvements still not done a week before school starts

Some of the planned security improvements at Uvalde school district campuses are still in the works and might not be in place for the start of the school year next week. Workers are still installing 8-foot non-climb fences at several district campuses. And 500 additional security cameras have been ordered, but they are not likely to be in place by the first day of school on Tuesday, Uvalde school district Superintendent Hal Harrell told parents at a meeting Monday night. Harrell also said the work to harden and secure campus vestibules and entrances is running behind schedule due to difficulty obtaining materials. There will be 33 state troopers patrolling its campuses, along with campus monitors, by the start of school, and the district has hired an additional three officers to join the school district police department. Harrell added that an audit and evaluation of the Uvalde school district Police Department will take place Sept. 29 and 30.

The school board had previously delayed the start of the school year until Tuesday to give campuses more time to put in place the additional security measures, responding to parents and children's anxiety and fear over returning to school slightly more than three months after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary that left 19 children and two teachers dead. A comprehensive report released by a Texas House investigative committee on the Robb Elementary shooting found that “Robb Elementary did not adequately prepare for the risk of an armed intruder on campus.” On May 24, the gunman was able to hop the exterior fence on the Robb campus, and enter the school through an unlocked door. The report found that “the school district did not treat the maintenance of doors and locks with appropriate urgency,” and many teachers did not receive the active shooter alert through the Raptor system, in part due to poor WiFi. At Monday’s meeting, Harrell said that audits of campuses’ WiFi and doors are complete. Amid immense pressure from the community, last week the board unanimously voted to fire school district police Chief Pete Arredondo, fingered for blame from Texas Department of Public Safety officials for mismanaging the response for the shooting and holding back officers for 77 minutes before they finally confronted and killed the shooter. (Arredondo has said he did not consider himself in charge.)