Texas: Uvalde Schools Reopen

Facts

• On Tuesday, classes resumed in the South Texas community of Uvalde, where a mass shooting in May killed 19 students and two teachers.
• Robb Elementary, the site of the shooting, has been permanently shuttered and will be demolished, but tensions are still high in the community amid ongoing security concerns.
• Some local families are sending their children to private schools, while others are opting for home-schooling or virtual learning. Some, however, have said a return to public school would be an important part of the healing process.
• All schools in Uvalde have implemented new security measures - such as installing fences, cameras, and polycarbonate bullet-resistance sheeting - and former Robb Elementary students will be relocated to two other schools.
• Other safety measures planned for the school year include installing 500 new security cameras, searching for a new interim police chief, and assigning three dozen Texas DPS officers to the school district.
• The school district also said it's providing additional school counselors and trauma-informed care training for all staff members, as well as comfort dogs on every campus for the first few weeks of school.

Sources: New York Times, New York Post, Texas Tribune, and CNN.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by CBS. It may be too soon to reopen schools considering how unsafe everyone still feels. Incomplete safety measures and increased police presence does little to alleviate the worries of people who have come to distrust law enforcement.
• Narrative B, as provided by NBC. While difficult, it's important for the people of Uvalde to move forward, and for their children to return to healthy routines, which includes school. The authorities are doing what they can to make everyone feel safer, and things will continue to improve with time.