13 Investigates: New Uvalde records show district limited information, teachers felt ignored
UVALDE, Texas (KTRK) -- After a teenager killed 19 elementary school students and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, one teacher told the district's superintendent, "it feels like our sacrifice and pain doesn't matter."
On June 12, 2022, a Robb Elementary teacher whose classroom sustained gunshots through its windows recalled details of the attack in an email to the superintendent.
"I fell on the floor and began knocking desks over onto my legs so I wouldn't make noise, but I could block the students from bullets. I told my students I loved them, I told them to stay quiet, and I told them to pray. Once the gunshots sounded like they were in the building, I sent a message to (redacted)," the teacher said in an email. "I physically sat almost laying myself on my students and in front of them to be sure I could block them from bullets. I knew I would die that day. I had shrapnel in my back from when he shot in my window, I had blood all over the back of me, but I tried to stay calm for my students."
I told my students I loved them, I told them to stay quiet, and I told them to pray.Robb Elementary School teacher
In an email sent 19 days after the deadly shooting, the teacher said she gave every part of herself to the school and her friends and students who died gave their lives.
"An email was sent out that asked us not to talk to the press, so I haven't. We were asked to be patient and understanding, so I have; but it feels as if the Rodd (sic) staff that survived, especially us in that 4th grade building are being ignored. It feels like our sacrifice and pain doesn't matter," the teacher said in an email.
That teacher's email was among thousands of pages of emails released this week by the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and provides a peek into behind-the-scenes communications at the district in the days and weeks after the shooting.
The records were released after a years-long effort by the district to withhold documents from the public and media organizations, including our partners at ABC News.
Previously released body camera video shows Uvalde CISD police and other responding officers stood in the hallway for 77 minutes before breaching the classroom on May 24, 2022.
Headlines since have mostly centered around the response by police.
The records released this week give a deeper look at the shooter's school records and show a decline in his performance and behavior over the years.
Uvalde CISD records for the now-deceased shooter Salvador Ramos indicate he was absent for 161 days during the 2019-2020 school year and considered "at risk."
Notes in his student file say he "has excessive absences and is missing a lot of work," and that he is "failing due to unsubmitted assignments."
He was ranked near the end of his class as the 312th student out of 318 students.
He also had a lengthy disciplinary history, including several suspensions for things like flashing the "loser" sign at his teachers, refusing to go to the office, and hitting another student, according to his student records.
He withdrew from Uvalde High School in October 2021 for "poor academic performance" and "lack of attendance."
Seven months later, Ramos crashed his car near Robb Elementary, entered with an assault rifle, went into a classroom, and within minutes fired more than 100 rounds at elementary school students and teachers.
Four days after the shooting, an email from Uvalde CISD's director of student services to nearly 20 employees reminding them not to share campus safety plans with reporters or other outside sources because they are "not public information."
"I watched a couple news reports last night and unfortunately there is information being reported that is not accurate. Due to this, questions will start to come up about what we have on each campus for safety. Review your plans and be refreshed on what you have in place and what deficiencies you have at your campus and how they are being addressed," the director said in an email on May 28, 2025. "Main thing to remember is that this is one person's fault and that is the shooter. No plan is perfect when an evil person decides to do something like this."
The district's emails released to us showed support for then-Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo in the early days after the shooting. He has since pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of child endangerment and abandonment related to the shooting.
Paul Looney, an attorney for Arredondo, told ABC News, "There is very little that will shed any constructive light on what to do next time or who did or didn't do anything this last time. Much is being made of trying to keep information private and secret so that they can try to prosecute two officers. Those prosecutions are flawed. They are not going to be successful, but the hiding of information is hiding a gold mine that we need to be learning from so that we can handle it more constructively next time. I've seen all this stuff in discovery for quite a while now. The hiding of this is pointless and serves nobody any constructive purpose."
13 Investigates reached out to Uvalde CISD and asked if the district's perception changed after more information came out about how things played out that day.
In a statement late Wednesday afternoon, the district told us, "I want to acknowledge that I have received your request. Unfortunately, due to the current workload and the district's priorities, I am unable to meet the deadline."
A social media post by Uvalde CISD on Friday alerted the community about the records being released.
"We have pledged to inform our families and the greater Uvalde school community about the release of these documents before they are made available to the media, and this notice serves to uphold that promise," the district said. "We recognize the profound impact this tragedy continues to have on everyone involved - our students, families, staff, and the entire Uvalde school community. As we journey through the process of healing and rebuilding, the district remains dedicated to offering support and maintaining transparency. Please know that we stand by each school community member, ready to support, heal, and rebuild together."
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