Uvalde CISD Superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell speaks after a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022.
The superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District released a statement Wednesday thanking supporters for "the outpouring of love" from both the local community and the nation after a gunman murdered 19 children and two adults inside an elementary school last week.
In the statement, Dr. Hal Harrell thanked the volunteers who have been "a light in the darkness," providing food, counseling and money to the district and community.
UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING
Harrell also confirmed that students and faculty will not be returning to Robb Elementary School and that they were developing plans to move students to other campuses.
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The superintendent released no new details on the investigation, reserving all comments until it has been completed.
Harrell's full, unedited statement, released June 1, can be read below.
STATEMENT FROM UVALDE SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT
On behalf of the Uvalde CISD Board of Trustees, I want to provide a quick update for our UCISD family, the Uvalde community, and the extended family that grieves alongside us.
Our community’s faith, sense of family, and resilience will pave a path of hope as we move into the future.
As the funerals of our beloved students begin, we extend our deepest condolences to the families of the 21 individuals who lost their lives on May 24, 2022. We are heartbroken over the loss of our teachers and students and hold each of their family members close to our hearts. The outpouring of love and offers of help from the local community and across the nation has been extraordinary.
We want to express our sincere gratitude for the remarkable support of the community, state, and nation. We will be forever thankful for the many volunteers who continue to provide counseling support, food, and financial resources to our school district and the community. They have truly been a light in the darkness.
We know there are questions about where we go from here, and I want to share what we know.
First and foremost, we are going to continue to provide counseling and support to our families and staff for the foreseeable future. We know that our lives will never be the same, but we also know that we will join together to honor the lives we lost and build a stronger Uvalde for those who remain.
Students and staff will not be returning to the Robb Elementary campus. We are working through plans on how to serve students on other campuses and will provide that information as soon as it is finalized.
We are also working with agencies to help us identify improvements on all UCISD campuses.
UCISD has and will continue to work with law enforcement who are investigating the event and realize that many questions remain. Because the investigation is ongoing and information is evolving, we are going to reserve comment until all state and federal agencies have completed their review.
I will continue to pray for our community and believe that better days are ahead.
We grieve together, we pray together, we grow together. We are #UvaldeStrong.
-- Dr. Hal Harrell, superintendent of the UCISD
