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Uvalde CISD files intent to appeal judge’s ruling to release records related to Robb Elementary shooting

Ruling gave UCISD, Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office until July 28 to release records and documents

City of Uvalde water tower (City of Uvalde)

UVALDE, Texas – The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District filed an intent to appeal a district court decision that forced the release of documents and records related to the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022.

Court documents show that Uvalde CISD filed its intent to appeal on July 26. The Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office filed its intent to appeal on Tuesday.

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The ruling was initially issued on July 8 by Judge Sid Harle of the 38th Judicial District Court in Uvalde County. It gave the school district and the sheriff’s office until July 28 to release the records, which included police body camera footage, 911 calls, emails, text messages related to the shooting and subsequent investigation.

The UCISD board met Tuesday to discuss the measure. After two hours in executive session, board members announced they were going to proceed with discussions made behind closed doors.

Details on what they discussed Tuesday night were not revealed.

About the ruling

According to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of media organizations, which includes KSAT 12 News, the documents could provide crucial insights into the timeline of events and decision-making processes during the massacre that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers.

“This ruling is a pivotal step towards ensuring transparency and accountability,” said Laura Prather, a media law attorney with Haynes Boone, which represents the news organizations. “The public deserves to know the full details of the response to this tragic event, and the information could be critical in preventing future tragedies.”

This was the second major win for the coalition. In June 2023, a similar victory in Austin state court required the Texas Department of Public Safety to release pertinent records. DPS is currently appealing the ruling and delaying the release of more than two terabytes of data related to the investigation.

Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell had opposed the release of records to the news organizations, saying their release could harm her criminal investigation into the shooting response. In late June, Mitchell announced a grand jury had indicted the former school Police Chief Pete Arredondo and Officer Adrian Gonzales on felony charges of child endangerment.

You can read Harle’s ruling below:

Correction:

KSAT erroneously reported that UCISD's board voted to appeal the district court decision. The board discussed the district court ruling in executive session, according to the agenda.


About the Authors
David Ibañez headshot

David Ibañez has been managing editor of KSAT.com since the website's launch in October 2000.

Daniela Ibarra headshot

Daniela Ibarra joined the KSAT News team in July 2023. This isn’t her first time in the KSAT newsroom– the San Antonio native spent the summer of 2017 as an intern. Daniela is a proud Mean Green alum, earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Texas.

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