Students in Uvalde head back to class Tuesday for the first time since the massacre at Robb Elementary School more than three months ago.
It's a day that'll be filled with anger and angst as families continue their calls for accountability after nearly 400 officers waited more than an hour to confront the gunman who killed 21 people inside the school.
Lexi Rubio, 10, was one of them.
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“She loved to play baseball,” said her great grandfather Julian Moreno.
Moreno says Lexi wanted to become a lawyer. He lives near Robb Elementary and says he heard the gunshots and started praying when he realized they came from Lexi's school.
“I asked God to give me strength to face whatever would happen,” said Moreno, tearfully.
What happened is a family's worst nightmare: 19 students and two teachers killed in a place they should feel safe.
One student visiting a memorial for the victims Monday says she's scared to return to school.
“Because like I feel like it’s going to happen, too. The same thing,” she said.
Robb Elementary will not reopen. It’s set to be demolished. Staff and many of its students have been reassigned to repurposed campus that’s being called Uvalde Elementary. It’s unclear how many students will attend.
The district says it’s implementing numerous new security measures like installing 8-foot non-scalable fencing at campuses, up to 500 security cameras and spreading 33 DPS troopers across its campuses.
The district says it’s also upgrading doors, locks and access points.
Still, it’s not enough for some parents like Adam Martinez. “I want to feel safer but right now the perception hasn't changed,” said Martinez.
He says his son Zayon hasn't been the same since the shooting when he hid in his second-grade classroom for more than an hour. This semester, Zayon will take classes at home online.
“When he told me that he was scared and he felt like he was not going to be protected by these police officers, he said that they were not going to be brave enough. I couldn't argue with him,” said Martinez.
It isn't just virtual schooling seeing an uptick. A local private school reportedly doubled enrollment over the summer and now has a waitlist.
The district delayed the start of school by about three weeks to prepare more. Still, not all of the safety improvements have been completed.
The Uvalde CISD’s website shows out of eight campuses, just three have had non-scalable fences installed, and two have had new cameras installed.
“There may be fear and insecurity, but we must face that situation with courage and faith,” said Moreno.
Despite his family's unthinkable loss, three of Lexi Rubio's siblings will head back to school Tuesday, a day that’ll be filled with hope and heartache. “I always think of her and regret that we will never see all that she could've achieved in life,” said Moreno.
