The principal of the Texas elementary school where a gunman went on a rampage in May has been suspended with pay, her attorney said on Tuesday, two weeks after a damning report about lax security that enabled the shooter to carry out the attack was published. Mandy Gutierrez, principal of Robb Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave by the Uvalde school district superintendent on Monday.
Uvalde school officials on Friday canceled a meeting to decide the future of embattled district Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who was facing the possibility of becoming the first officer to be fired over the slow law enforcement response to the Robb Elementary School massacre.
Arredondo’s job was set to be discussed in an abruptly called school board meeting that was scheduled for Saturday, but in a statement Friday, the district said it had canceled the meeting at the request of Arredondo’s attorney and because of “due process requirements.”
The district said the the police chief’s potential firing would be considered later but did not specify when.
The latest action taken by the Uvalde City Council came from a meeting Tuesday. Council members promised to investigate every city police officer who responded to Robb Elementary during the mass shooting.
“This investigation is looking at every single officer and we’re going to get a report on everybody,” council member Ernest “Chip” King III said. “We will act on it, and we promise that to you.”
The recent calls for more action come after a Texas House Committee investigating the Uvalde shooting released its report and further surveillance video depicting multiple failures. The report was 77 pages long. Investigators said school administrators adopted a ‘regrettable culture of noncompliance’ with safety and security measures. There are three entrance points into the building. All three doors were unlocked the day of the shooting. The report said the school did not adequately prepare for an active shooter situation and that the officers on scene should have done more.
Correction, July 27th, 2 PM CT: Initial publication included a larger scope to the investigation. This article has been updated with the correct information.
