UVALDE, Texas – Robb Elementary School Principal Mandy Gutierrez can return to work and her administrative leave with pay has been lifted, according to Uvalde CISD officials.
Uvalde CISD Superintendent Hal Harrell issued a letter to Gutierrez on Thursday, saying she is able to resume her duties as principal and can continue “to serve all the families of UCISD.”
Gutierrez’s attorney, Ricardo Cedillo, shared the letter with KSAT. This comes just three days after Gutierrez was suspended with pay on July 25.
The Texas House report released earlier this month found that Gutierrez and her assistant knew about a problem with the lock to Room 111 — the classroom where the gunman entered — but found that no work order was ever placed for a repair.
The report also found that, while an alert was sent to teachers and faculty that day, not all teachers received it due to poor wireless internet signal and the fact that many teachers didn’t have their phones on them at the time.
Gutierrez never attempted to communicate the lockdown over the school’s intercom system, the report stated.
On Wednesday, Gutierrez addressed the concerns outlined in the report. You can read her side of the story here.
In short, she said she hoped to keep her job not only for her family, but also so she could continue supporting those most affected by the Robb Elementary massacre.
“I want to keep my job not only so that I can provide for my family, but so that I can continue to be on the front lines helping children who survived, the families of all affected, and the entire Uvalde community that I love and want to protect.”
“I will live with the horror of these events for the rest of my life,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez is the second employee with Uvalde CISD that had been placed on leave since the shooting. Police Chief Pete Arredondo was put on leave by the school board in June.
The board planned to meet last Saturday to consider Arredondo’s termination but posted a statement to the school district’s website on Friday, saying that the meeting was delayed at the request of Arredondo’s attorney.
Read Gutierrez’s full response to the Texas House Interim Investigative Committee: