Uvalde board orders fuller release of Robb Elementary records after lawyers admit partial disclosure

UVALDE, Texas — The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District board voted unanimously Aug. 26 to authorize the superintendent and the district’s attorneys to release all documents responsive to a public records order related to the Robb Elementary School shooting, with the exception of any safety plans.

The vote followed an explanation from the district’s outside counsel that the firm had mistakenly released an exemplar set rather than the full responsive document set in response to a Public Information Act lawsuit. “We had not released all of the responsive information,” the attorney told the board, adding, “We believe that we made an error… We are going to release as we are able to release, we will continue to release each and every day…and we have discussed with opposing counsel that that will be released to them no later than next Wednesday.”

Why it matters: Families and survivors have repeatedly demanded full transparency about records and footage related to the May 24 Robb Elementary tragedy. At the meeting, survivors and family members said promised disclosures had not happened, and some accused district officials and counsel of withholding material.

What happened: During public comment, survivor Amy Franco told trustees, “You lied. You failed us again,” and asked whether the superintendent or the district’s attorneys were withholding video or other records that she said would show the truth of her actions that day. After returning from closed session, the board heard from outside counsel that three categories of potentially responsive items were not under the district’s control: hallway camera footage taken into custody by the Texas Office of Public Safety, 911 records held by the city, and body‑worn camera footage — which the counsel said the district does not possess because the district officers did not wear body cameras at the time.

The attorney said the law firm believed it had released only a sampling and would proceed to review, redact confidential material and provide the rest of the records to the plaintiffs’ counsel. “For confidential information to be redacted, it just takes time to go through the documents and be able to do that,” the attorney said. He told the board the firm will continue daily releases as they get through redactions.

Board response and next steps: Trustees repeatedly apologized to families in the room and said they had been told previously that the full set would be released. Trustee statements emphasized a desire for transparency and accountability. The board then approved a motion, made by Trustee Rizzo and seconded by Trustee Gonzales, authorizing the superintendent and counsel to release all documents related to the shooting, except safety plans. The motion passed unanimously.

Legal and procedural limits: Counsel told the board that some video evidence is in the custody of the state agency and subject to separate litigation and that the district does not possess body camera footage from UCISD police officers for the events. The attorney also noted a court order requires redactions before production in some instances.

Related action: Trustees later voted to have the superintendent explore retaining additional outside counsel to assist with legal matters connected to the shooting records and related litigation; that motion also passed unanimously.

What survivors said: “Somewhere in this circle, someone is attempting to hide the negligence by administrators on May 24,” Amy Franco said during public comment. Board members acknowledged the hurt caused by the mistake and pledged to continue releasing records as they become available.

What’s next: Counsel told the board remaining responsive documents will be provided to opposing counsel no later than the coming Wednesday, subject to redaction requirements. The board asked the superintendent to continue updates publicly as documents are produced.