Uvalde ISD lawyers to ask federal court to update 1982 consent decree; board files amicus brief seeking Robb Elementary video release
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Summary
Board lawyers said they will file a motion to update the 1982 Morales consent decree to reflect current election timing and four-year terms and that, at the board's direction, the district filed an amicus brief urging the Texas Department of Public Safety to release surveillance video from Robb Elementary.
UVALDE, Texas — Uvalde CISD officials said the district's lawyers will ask a federal judge to update a 1982 consent decree that shaped the district's board structure, and the district has filed an amicus brief asking an appeals court to order the release of video recordings related to the Robb Elementary shooting.
The district's outside counsel told the Board of Trustees that the 1982 Morales consent decree established the board's current mix of at‑large and area seats and reflected election practices then in place. Counsel said Texas law has since moved elections to May and allowed four‑year terms. The law firm said it will file a motion “to clean up that consent decree while honoring the heart of this consent decree, bring it up to date with the board's current practice.”
Why it matters: The consent decree is a long‑running federal court order that still governs the board's structure; updating it would align the decree's text with current state law and the district's existing practices. Separately, the Robb Elementary surveillance recordings are the subject of a legal dispute between media requesters and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). The district said it does not possess the DPS footage and therefore cannot directly release it.
What the board heard: Superintendent Colas introduced the attorney's report and said she did not expect the board to take immediate action beyond directing counsel to proceed. The attorney explained the 1982 consent decree's origins, noting that it addressed concerns about representation in the 1980s and that “the board wants to honor the heart of that consent decree.” Counsel said the requested court filing will note that the district now holds elections in May and board members serve four‑year, not three‑year, terms.
On the Robb Elementary recording, the district's counsel told trustees the board had instructed lawyers to prepare an amicus curiae brief in a pending appeal over records sought from DPS. “We have filed a brief at the board's direction to communicate that the board feels strongly that that video should be released,” the attorney said, adding that the board also prepared a letter to DPS urging the department to turn the surveillance recordings over to the district so the board can decide whether to release them publicly.
What was decided: Trustees did not vote on either the consent‑decree filing or the amicus brief at the meeting; counsel said the firm expects to file the consent‑decree motion within the next week or two and confirmed the amicus brief had been prepared and filed at the board's direction.
What comes next: Counsel will file the motion to update the 1982 decree and continue to press for release of the DPS footage via the appeals court and direct communications with DPS.
Speakers quoted in this story spoke at the public meeting and are identified in district records.
