Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers will be stationed at Uvalde schools and extracurricular activities, the statement said, noting, “We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition.”
It wasn’t clear how long the school police department would be suspended. A district spokeswoman did not return calls or emails.
The district didn’t specify what prompted the decision, but the announcement came a day after officials said they had fired school police officer Crimson Elizondo. CNN reported Elizondo had been hired despite still being under investigation for her conduct during the massacre, when she was employed by DPS. The decision to hire Elizondo had sparked outrage among victims’ parents.
“We are deeply distressed by the information that was disclosed yesterday evening concerning one of our recently hired employees, Crimson Elizondo,” the school district said in a letter released after the firing. “We sincerely apologize to the victim’s families and the greater Uvalde community for the pain that this revelation has caused.”
Elizondo was the first DPS trooper to enter the hallway at Robb Elementary School after the shooter, but did not bring her rifle or protective vest, according to an internal review reported by ABC News.
As a result of potential failure to follow standard procedures, she was among seven DPS staff who had been suspended while being investigated by the agency’s inspector general, ABC reported. Elizondo resigned from DPS to work for Uvalde school police, meaning she was no longer subject to internal discipline or penalties by the state agency.
The Uvalde school district did not say when Elizondo was hired, but they said at a school board meeting on Aug. 8 that “four officers have been recommended for hire.” It’s unclear if Elizondo was one of them.
Shooting victims’ relatives have been gathering outside the school district administration building for more than a week to protest school police.
Javier Cazares, father of 9-year-old victim Jacklyn Cazares, called suspension of the school police force, “one of the battles that have been won.”
“At the same time, it should have been sooner,” he said. “It’s a small battle. There’s a lot more to do.”
Cazares, who’s running for county commission, said families are committed to holding local and state leaders responsible in the wake of the shooting, even as some neighbors who see them protesting urge them to give up.
“The people who say that are the ones who’ve not been affected. Yesterday, a truck driver opened his window and said ‘Y’all move on.’ We can’t move on. Our babies are gone,” Cazares said. “It’s a fight that we can never stop. We can’t even properly grieve because we’re doing this. It’s depressing that they have that attitude: We’re doing it for their kids.”
Cazares said he plans on Monday to attend the next school board meeting, where he expects this week’s announcements to be discussed.
“More stuff is coming to light, and there’s still a lot more,” he said, including improvements to school windows, doors and locks. “There’s still a lot of stuff that needs to be done that they promised.”
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D), who represents the Uvalde area, credited victims’ relatives — especially Brett Cross, who raised his nephew, Uziyah Garcia, 10, like a…
Read More: Uvalde district suspends school police department amid protests after shooting
