A day shy of the one-year anniversary of Texas’ deadliest school shooting, a comprehensive report outlined numerous ways local, state and federal leaders can assist the Uvalde community in its efforts to not only heal and rebuild, but to honor their lost loved ones with action.
Following multiple visits with community leaders and families of the victims in the months after the May 24, 2022, massacre, the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence made six major recommendations. The intention of the report, it said, was to offer solutions to facilitate healing for the city’s residents, identify unmet needs and prevent similar tragedies.
The report, reviewed Monday by The Dallas Morning News, was dedicated to the 21 people killed: Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo, 10; Jacklyn Jaylen Cazares, 9; Makenna Lee Elrod, 10; Jose Manuel Flores Jr., 10; Eliahna Amyah Garcia, 9; Uziyah Sergio Garcia, 10; Amerie Jo Garza, 10; Xavier James Lopez, 10; Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10; Tess Marie Mata, 10; Maranda Gail Mathis, 11; Alithia Haven Ramirez, 10; Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10; Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, 10; Alexandria Aniyah Rubio, 10; Layla Marie Salazar, 11; Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10; Eliahna Cruz Torres, 10; Rojelio Fernandez Torres, 10; Irma Linda Garcia, 48; Eva Mireles, 44.
“An unwillingness to address guns directly is not a valid excuse for inaction on this issue,” the report said, noting other Texas communities — most recently Allen and Cleveland — have also lost children to mass shootings.
“The lives that were lost on this day can never be replaced. But we can honor them with action, by fighting for the kinds of deep, systemic changes that will bring healing, protect others, and ensure that these young lives were not lost in vain.”
These are the organization’s six recommendations, which have been condensed for clarity:
Pass, implement and improve gun safety laws
The report called for a range of gun reform measures, noting one of the direct causes of the school shooting was the ease in which the gunman was able to legally obtain an AR-15 and large-capacity ammunition magazines.
Some calls to action included raising the minimum age of buying a gun from 18 to 21 years old, implementing a background check for all gun sales, and passing an extreme risk protection order law that would suspend a person’s access to firearms if they show clear warning signs of violence.
Expand community-based programs and services for at-risk youths and young adults
One of the most common needs expressed by Uvalde residents, according to the report, was the lack of programming, services and safe spaces for youth.
By providing more resources and spaces for children, like Boys & Girls Clubs and recreation centers, a young person can still receive support outside the school system to address underlying risk factors for violence, the report said.
Develop long-term mental health services
Although improved access to mental health services is not the sole solution to decreasing gun violence, the report said, improving mental health services will help address a portion of it.
Long-term access to these services is also important for survivors.
Some goals and action items to act on this recommendation have already been set in motion by the Hill Country Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities Center, which received $5 million from the state last year to address these gaps.
Those goals, created with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, include:
•Build a regional behavioral health campus in Uvalde, supported by additional specialty resources in San Antonio.
•Expand the mental health workforce.
•Improve financial and other incentives to attract mental health providers.
•Increase access to telemedicine.
•Establish a community mental health planning group with a dedicated staff.
Address structural racism
Many Uvalde residents told the organization that ongoing, structural racism is a barrier to healing in the community.
The racial inequity locally, the report said, has led Latinos to have a low level of trust in institutions, citing they aren’t being responsive to their needs. It has also made it more difficult at times for the community to fully come together.
The report noted that In Uvalde, a significant percentage of the survivors impacted by the shooting — directly and indirectly — are Latino.
“Various forms of racism contributed to the violence that occurred at Robb Elementary and continue to impede the healing and unification of the Uvalde community,” the report said. “Addressing this racism directly must be a top priority of city leadership and community members going forward.”
Reform victim compensation systems
Based on interviews with victims’ families, the report deemed applying for the state-funded Texas Crime Victims’ Compensation Program — operated by the Texas Attorney General’s Office — was a “laborious process” filled with paperwork that retraumatized some, such as requiring them to repeatedly write the name of their dead child.
Other complaints included the communication from the program was virtually nonexistent and the system as a whole was slow. Some lawmakers have also said the compensation was insufficient.
The report calls for most of the system to be reformed, including expanding the definition of “member of a household” and increasing the limits on payments for a parent of a lost child.
Establish trauma-informed schools
According to the report, since schools are often considered the “center of communities,” prioritizing school-based intervention can not only help identify youth who are at an increased risk of trauma-related mental health symptoms, but can also bridge the gaps preventing youth from accessing mental health services.
In order to serve as such a community resource, the report said it will be critical to offer ongoing training for Uvalde school staff on mental health awareness and the impact of trauma.
“Educators are positioned to identify mental health concerns for students due to their proximity and ability to observe their behavior in a variety of contexts, but they often receive minimal training and education on how to identify and manage mental health symptoms in classrooms,” the report said.
