Uvalde students go back to school for 1st time since attack

AUSTIN, Texas — Students in Uvalde went back to school Tuesday for the first time since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in a classroom attack that shocked the country and helped fuel passage of a landmark national law on gun violence.

Children began arriving at Uvalde Elementary before dawn, walking through newly installed 8-foot (2.4-meter) metal fencing that surrounds the campus and past a state trooper standing guard outside an entrance.

Colorful flags hung inside the hallways, and teachers wore turquoise shirts that read “Together We Rise & Together We Are Better” on the back. State troopers were parked on every corner outside the school.

The district announced in late June that the scene of the assault, Robb Elementary, would be permanently closed and eventually torn down, though a timeline has not been set. Fundraising is underway for the construction of a new elementary campus.

Teachers hugged students climbing out of cars in the dropoff line and guided them toward a line of teachers who were waiting behind the fence.

School started weeks ago in many parts of Texas, but district officials pushed back the first day of class in Uvalde after a summer of heartache, anger and revelations of widespread failures by law enforcement officers who allowed an 18-yearold gunman to fire inside adjoining fourth grade classrooms for more than 70 minutes.

Uvalde school officials said several enhanced security measures are still incomplete, including the installation of additional cameras and new locks.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has committed to putting nearly three dozen state troopers on Uvalde campuses. But that was of no comfort to some families since more than 90 state troopers were present during the attack.