Uvalde School District Withholds Damning Security Documents and Police Chief Settlement Offer Following School Massacre

Uvalde school officials are withholding critical documents regarding classroom security and a settlement offer to the terminated police chief, despite a court order mandating their release following the May 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas.

CNN obtained exclusive access to never-before-viewed emails containing potentially damning information. One such email showed that the school principal warned nine months prior to the tragic incident about classroom doors frequently failing to lock or being left unlocked.

Meanwhile, bereaved parents were demanding the dismissal of school police chief Pete Arredondo, who was central to the law enforcement’s failure to act swiftly during the massacre, taking 77 minutes to stop the gunman. As this unfolded, district officials were engaging in settlement discussions with Arredondo’s lawyer.

These and other documents were prepared for release earlier this month, concluding a three-year campaign by CNN and other media companies to obtain public records. However, key correspondence was not disclosed.

The omissions have rekindled pain among some survivors and families of the deceased who have long advocated for full transparency. According to multiple sources familiar with the records, 541MB of data including emails and texts was shared with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) board. Only 439MB of this data was made available in response to the lawsuit.

The reasons behind the substantial discrepancy between prepared and released documents remain unclear. However, information shared by sources indicates that 48 pages of correspondence related to Arredondo’s termination were omitted, as well as a 99-page file on then-Principal Mandy Gutierrez marked “Do not release,” although the reason for this designation is unknown.

The executive director of communications for the district stated that she had referred a request for comment on the missing files to the district’s law firm. In an email to CNN, Anne Marie Espinoza wrote, “We are dedicated to delivering a comprehensive and precise response and actively collaborating with our legal team to ensure that the district adheres fully to the court order. We will share any updates as soon as they become available, and we appreciate your patience regarding this situation.”

Following the initial publication of this story, the district reportedly identified additional documents for release, although no details about these documents or their release date have been disclosed.

An unreleased email obtained by CNN shows Arredondo’s then lawyer discussing a settlement offer, suggesting it was the school board that initiated the discussion. The email implies bad faith on the part of the school board regarding the settlement discussions, but no details about why these discussions began or any payment to Arredondo have been made public.

CNN reached out to Arredondo for comment but did not receive a response. The school district dismissed Arredondo three months after the massacre. Both Arredondo and former UCISD police officer Adrian Gonzales were later indicted on charges related to the school shooting.

A 2024 Department of Justice report found Arredondo at fault, but also criticized then-acting Uvalde Police Chief Mariano Pargas and Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco for failing to take effective command, despite multiple opportunities to reassess the flawed response and eliminate the threat.

The unreleased emails include a warning by then-Principal Gutierrez nine months before the massacre about classroom doors that could not be secured. She requested additional keys for substitute teachers due to frequent chases of suspected undocumented immigrants in the area, which often resulted in people attempting to flee or “bail out” near Robb Elementary.

CNN attempted to contact Gutierrez for comment but did not receive a reply. The email was forwarded in correspondence from Gutierrez after the shooting and is subject to the requests for records. Her message highlights concerns about classroom security that were brought before district leadership months before the gunman entered an unlocked door into the school and into two adjoining classrooms. Video and witness statements analyzed by CNN show all three entrance doors to the fourth grade building were unlocked.

No one from law enforcement attempted to check if the doors to classrooms 111 and 112, where the gunman was holed up with dead and injured children and adults, were locked before Border Patrol led the breach and killed the shooter. At least two other classroom doors in the same hallway were unlocked, and teachers had made multiple complaints about their functionality.

Earlier this month, the Uvalde school district issued a statement regarding the unanimous vote by the school board to release the records. The statement read, “As we navigate the aftermath of this heartbreaking event, we pledge to remain transparent and supportive.” News organizations, including CNN, had requested these public records to report comprehensively about the massacre and its lead-up, not just for the people of Uvalde but to identify any improvements in school safety or law enforcement policy that could be implemented nationwide.

The obfuscation and inaction have only prolonged the pain of victims, their families, and the community at large, who continue to demand transparency regarding the events of that day. The Uvalde community and citizens of Texas deserve answers and the opportunity to heal from this horrific tragedy. It is impossible to restore the community’s trust in law enforcement or public officials while the facts of that fateful day remain hidden and shielded from scrutiny and accountability.

Some families of the victims have campaigned for transparency for years. While the City of Uvalde soon released large parts of videos from its officers’ body cameras, Uvalde County only published material the day after the school board, also having lost a court case. Furthermore, the Texas Department of Public Safety that led an investigation into what happened is still refusing to share the public records it has.

The school district did announce that it would release the records it held after a court ruled and an appeals court agreed that the public had a right to know. However, lawyers for the media claim that this has not occurred. In a letter to attorneys representing the school district, lawyers representing a coalition of media organizations including CNN wrote, “Specifically, UCISD has not produced all emails and text messages that are responsive to our clients’ requests.”

The letter noted that emails were requested and produced from various UCISD officials. However, while 3,700 pages of emails to and from former deputy superintendent Michael Rodriguez were released, there were only 113 pages related to district spokesperson Anne Marie Espinoza and only 219 pages of emails to or from the then-school superintendent, Hal Harrell.

“It is simply inconceivable that UCISD’s production represents the totality of correspondence to and from the District’s spokesperson and superintendent in the wake of the deadliest school shooting in Texas history,” the letter wrote, adding that emails known to have been sent by news organizations were not included. “These omissions clearly demonstrate that UCISD has not produced all responsive email correspondence.”

Teacher Arnie Reyes, who lay injured and watched his students die for over an hour as the gunman taunted him while police officers waited outside his classroom, stated it was clear to him that not everything had been released. “There has to be more emails than that,” he said in a video posted on Facebook, adding that he saw little concern for survivors in the correspondence that was published. He also emphasized why learning more was important to him:

“I lay on a floor in a puddle of blood that I could see getting bigger. I could hear what was going on, and I could just imagine the pain that my students had gone through. So, this is two totally different battles. It’s not to bring up the pain again of that day. It is for closure, for me, it is for closure.”

Reyes was the sole survivor in Classroom 111. Eleven students who had stayed after their awards ceremony to watch a movie were killed in his room. The Uvalde school board has already faced criticism for its actions following the attack on the fourth graders and their teachers on their awards day. Angry parents confronted the board two months after the massacre demanding to know why Arredondo was still employed at that time.

Following CNN’s exclusive reporting, the district fired the first officer mentioned and then suspended the entire school police force and two other officials.