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The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District voted on Monday to release records from the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.
The Texas Tribune and several other media outlets sued for the records that could shed more light into the failed law enforcement response that saw officers wait more than an hour to confront the gunman.
Uvalde County Commissioner Ronald Garza told the board that releasing those records is a step toward justice that has long evaded victims' families. He also cited a lack of cooperation by Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell.
"And for too long, the district attorney's office continues to have her go-to line as 'we can't talk about this. We can't show this because it's going to compromise the criminal case pending here at our 38th Judicial Court District.' ”
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Gloria Casares lost her daughter Jackie in the shooting — one of 19 children and two teachers who died that day.
"For over three years," she said, "families like mine have lived with unbearable pain, unanswered questions and a silence that feels like yet another betrayal."
Casares spoke during public comment at Monday night's school board meeting on whether or not to appeal a court ruling ordering the release of the records to the media outlets.
"I'm here today to demand the truth," she added. "You all owe it to Jackie, to her classmates, to her teachers, and to every single family member that has forever been changed."
School trustee Jesse Rizo, Jackie's uncle, spoke about conversations he's had with victims' families.
"One person told me she was 'you can't give me my child back. The least that you can do is give me this information.' One person said, 'the longer that you hold on to this information, you're killing me. You're slowly ... torturing me.' ”
Rizo said he was sorry that it took so long to make the records public.
Trustee Robert Quiñones added: "There's nothing I can say or we can say that can go fix anything of this, but I do hope that we can at least open that door where we can start that building of trust again, having that transparency. You have a committed board up here, and we're trying to do the right thing, and this is the step in that right direction where we need to get back on track where the community can trust us and we can get back to where we used to be."
After more than 45 minutes in closed session, the board voted unanimously to release the records. The board did not say when it will do so.
