'A tragedy to the highest degree'

May 27—Those driving through Weatherford this week may have noticed an increased police presence at their child's school.

It was a common site following Tuesday's shooting massacre that left 19 elementary students and two teachers dead in the town of Uvalde.

The news left communities everywhere reeling, as reports continue to come out about a motive, how the shooter was able to gain access and what additional security measures might be needed.

"We take student and faculty safety extremely seriously, and I feel Weatherford is a very safe school district," Weatherford Deputy Chief of Police Greg Lance said Wednesday. "WPD has multiple [School Resource Officers] assigned and the district also has faculty members who have been trained in this [intruder] situation.

"I know both the school district and police department make school safety an absolute priority."

Several districts, including Weatherford and Millsap, approved concealed carry programs in 2018 in an effort to increase security measures following a school shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 dead. The SRO program isn't new to area schools, but is employed in most, if not all, of the school districts in Parker and Palo Pinto County, either through the local police departments or the sheriff's office.

Mineral Wells ISD Superintendent John Kuhn said he was at a loss for words this week after news of the shooting.

"Children are the most precious resource any community has. We have no greater obligation than to love them, keep them safe, teach them, guard their hearts and guide them towards their best future," he said. "I don't want to think about the broken-hearted parents, or the families of the adults lost, or the coworkers of the sweet teacher. I don't want to acknowledge the person who entered such a kind place with such an evil heart. I don't want to think about the anxiety this adds to my own students and teachers every time it happens, or to our parents, to my own sweet teacher wife, to my own children.

"The burdens of teaching and learning are heavy enough already."

Mineral Wells ISD employs SROs through the Mineral Wells police department, in addition to other safety measures at all campuses.

"I want to run down the litany of safety measures we have in place to reassure parents, teachers, and students, but I don't want it to sound like school is a fortress and not a school," he said. "We adults need to do better for kids. I'm a positive person, but there is so much pain and neglect going on in the hearts of American kids, they're hurting and struggling so much, and it's been this way for awhile, and people don't realize the five-alarm fire blazing across our kids' hearts — unless they're teachers, cops, or social workers.

"Then they see it all too clearly."

The shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde marked the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. since the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

Although mass shootings of that magnitude are rare, researchers at the Naval Postgraduate School have recorded 504 cases of gun violence at elementary, middle and high schools since the start of 2020 — a number that eclipses the previous eight years combined.

Newly re-elected Texas Rep. Glenn Rogers lamented the deaths in Uvalde as "a tragedy of the highest degree," noting that his own life has been dimmed by the loss of a son.

"For me, the pain of losing a child is something I would not wish on anyone on this earth," he wrote in a statement.

Rogers said his job on this front now is " ...to work at the state level to keep our children safe."

"I certainly do not have all the answers," he continued. "Many times, during a tragedy, there are those who use the situation to lecture on what we 'must' do or 'should' do at a policy level. Right now, I hope our focus is sending aid and support to those in Uvalde while they grieve and deal with such an unimaginable loss.

"When we convene for the 88th Legislative Session, I expect that working to secure our schools is going to be a top priority. What I ask from our district now is to keep the citizens of Uvalde in your prayers."

Law enforcement officials have said the 18-year-old shooter, Salvador Ramos, who entered the school Tuesday "unobstructed" through a door that was apparently unlocked, had no known criminal or mental health history and the motive remains under investigation.

Before attacking the school, he shot and wounded his grandmother at the home they shared.

A Robb School Memorial Fund has been opened at First State Bank of Uvalde for the families of Robb Elementary.

Anyone wishing to donate can do so at any FSB branch; mail a check — payable to "Robb School Memorial Fund" — to 200 E. Nopal St., Uvalde, TX 78801; or donate through Zelle: robbschoolmemorialfund@gmail.com.