The Uvalde public school school administration has once again come under fire for their lackluster safety measures after an inspector posing as an intruder was able to enter schools without restrictions.
In the district where 19 children and six adults were killed in a mass shooting, three schools were chosen for an "intruder selection audit." Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District interim Superintendent Gary Patterson shared the results at a school board meeting Monday, revealing that one school had failed the inspection.
“They attempted to gain access on three of our campuses over a two-day period," Patterson said via NBC News. "There was access gained on one exterior door at a campus that was in a cafeteria loading dock area.”
The inspector was able to gain access after the loading dock door was left open following a delivery. According to Patterson, the door "wasn't closed hard enough," leaving the latch loose enough to open. Staff then stopped in inspector in the cafeteria, where no students were located at the time.
"That really is 100 percent my responsibility to see that didn’t happen,” Patterson added. “The delivery of goods into loading docks was just something, quite honestly, that I overlooked. But I won’t overlook it next time."
The failed audit comes just weeks after a parent of one of the shooting victims levied a lawsuit against local police, who she accused of “complete failure” to follow active shooter protocols. The suit also names the manufacturer of the gun used in the killings, which the parent says targeted young and vulnerable men with advertising.
Survivors also filed a separate lawsuit against the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, the school district's police department, the Uvalde Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and several members of said agencies. They claim that they have experienced "sustained emotional and psychological damages as a result of Defendants' conduct and omissions."
Patterson said that efforts to replace doors and gates at local schools have been stalled by supply chain issues, and that staff will now be trained to check all possible entry points before the school year resumes in January following the winter holiday.
“Overall, you know, not as successful as we had liked, but we are making progress," Patterson said.
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