Mandy Gutierrez, the principal at Robb Elementary School in Texas, was suspended with pay Monday, her attorney Ricardo Cedillo confirmed to ABC News.
A special legislative investigation into the May 24 massacre at the school found that Gutierrez knew about security problems before the shooter entered the school — killing 19 students and two teachers — but she failed to fix the problems.
District officials declined to discuss the suspension or what it means.
Principal Mandy Gutierrez speaks to reporters outside a committee hearing on the investigation into the shooting at Robb Elementary, Uvalde, Texas, June 16, 2022.
KSAT
Gutierrez joins school police Chief Pete Arredondo, who is still on unpaid administrative leave. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District recommended that Arredondo be fired.
The chief was singled out for a series of catastrophic failures in leading the police response to the massacre, which ignored the possibility that children and teachers could have been saved if the teenage shooter had been confronted and neutralized, as standard police protocol dictated.
Uvalde School Police Chief Pete Arredondo, third from left, stands during a press conference outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 26, 2022.
Dario Lopez-Mills/AP, FILE
News of Gutierrez’s suspension began circulating just before Monday night’s regular school board meeting. During the session, the board announced that the 2022-23 school year will begin on Sept. 6 as the district implements a series of security improvements and measures for emotional and social support services.
Before officials announced their plans, the board was met again by family members of the shooting victims, as well as other community residents concerned about the way district leaders have acted since May 24.
“These parents are still in pain. And they want answers,” Daniel Myers, a pastor, told the board.
Uvalde:365 is an ongoing ABC News series reported from Uvalde and focused on the Texas community and how it evolves in the shadow of tragedy.
Brett Cross, father of Uzia Garcia, who was killed in the massacre, pointed to the board members, saying only one in attendance reached out to his family. He demanded that someone on the board take responsibility for the failures that led to the shooting and how the district handled the aftermath.
“You care more about yourselves than our children,” Cross told the board. “Why haven’t you taken responsibility for all your messes yet? Can any of you look me dead in the eye and say, “Look, we messed up?”
Finally, board member Luis Fernandez admitted that “everyone got it wrong.”
“So let’s recap: Two months later … nothing has changed,” Belinda Arreola told the board. “Once again we’re banging our heads against a brick wall demanding answers and accountability… We’re getting nowhere because there’s always something.”
“I feel like no amount of security is going to put our hearts and minds at ease,” Tracy Byrd said, pointing to the significant loss of life despite the strong law enforcement response. The board did not respond.
Among the security improvements announced were that Wi-Fi and communications problems identified by investigators would be the subject of an audit starting Tuesday. Officials are also looking for an interim district police chief and the district police will be reorganized. Other improvements announced were that new video camera systems have arrived and are being installed this week, and school lobbies and access points are being reviewed by consultants and are being restricted.
The county’s Raptor security system is being redesigned so that emergency alerts are clearer for users. The district also requested that 30 to 40 state police officers be on hand to assist on the first day of school.
Among the social and emotional supports announced was that there will be five more licensed counselors, one per campus, as well as telemedicine to include psychiatric and counseling services through the UT Health System. It was also announced that the district will use the Rhythm app, a morning assessment to ask students how they are doing and feeling, and that support for parents will be available through the Bereavement Center to include one-on-one support available to anyone in the community in should.
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