Uvalde superintendent announces retirement

He had told staff last week about his plan to retire, CNN reported.

The board went into a closed session before returning to the public portion of the meeting where it unanimously voted to begin a search for a new superintendent and to allow Harrell to stay in his position until a replacement is named, CNN reported.

According to his official biography on the district’s website, Harrell graduated from Uvalde High School and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas Austin, his master’s in school administration from Sul Ross State University and his doctorate at the University of Texas San Antonio. He started his career in the Uvalde school district in 1992 as a special education teacher, before being promoted to various positions including the high school principal and deputy superintendent.

Harrell first made the announcement on his wife’s Facebook page, saying “I am truly grateful for your support and well wishes. My decision to retire has not been made lightly and was made after much prayer and discernment,” Harrell wrote, according to CNN. “My wife and I love you all and this community that we both grew up in, and therefore the decision was a difficult one for us.”

[ Uvalde school shooting: $27B class action lawsuit announced for victims, survivors ]

Harrell along with law enforcement, the board, and other officials have come under fire for the lack of action during the 70-minute active shooter situation.

A report by Texas lawmakers said that there were “systemic failures and egregiously poor decision making” by police and school officials, the AP reported.

[ Texas school shooting: Report on Uvalde shooting details ‘systemic failures’ ]

Harrell announced several new safety measures for this school year, but some parents said it is not enough and have called for him to be removed from his position, CNN reported.

The district has also suspended the operation of its police force and put a lieutenant and another school official on leave during the district’s investigation.

[ Uvalde school district suspends entire police department ]

The Uvalde school district had also recently hired, and then fired, former Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Crimson Elizondo.

Elizondo is under investigation for her response to the shooting after it was found that she arrived at the scene moments after shots were fired and was heard on her body camera saying that she would have responded differently if her own son had been inside the school, CNN reported. Instead, officials said Elizondo waited outside the school because she did not feel comfortable going inside the building without her equipment. Video from the scene shows her exiting her vehicle but not getting any body armor or her long rifle as officers are trained to do, CNN reported.

Elizondo went inside for a few moments, but then went back outside, at one point offering to get another officer supplies. She was outside when the gunman was shot and killed, CNN reported.

She was seen encouraging students to leave the building if they were able, and was seen comforting a student. She also went to a hospital on a school bus helping students who were shot and traumatized, CNN reported.