Uvalde School District Superintendent Announces Retirement

() — Hal Harrell, superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, announced his retirement Monday, according to a Facebook post by his wife, Donna Goates Harrell.

“I am truly grateful for your support and well wishes. My decision to retire was not made lightly and was made after much prayer and discernment,” the post read. “My wife and I love all of you and this community we both grew up in, and so the decision was a difficult one for us.”

Harrell will remain for the entire year until a new superintendent is named, according to the publication.

Harrell has been under scrutiny since the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary School in Texas.

The massacre left 19 children and two teachers dead. Months later, new details are still emerging about the school district’s response to the shooting.

“My heart was broken on May 24 and I will always pray for each precious life that was tragically taken, as well as their families,” the Facebook post read.

According to the publication, the superintendent asked his wife “to post this message since he does not have Facebook.”

Last week, Harrell emailed staff about his intention to retire.

“I am in my 31st year in education, all served and dedicated to the students and families here at Uvalde,” Harrell said in his email.

That message came hours after the school district announced it was suspending operations of its police force and furloughing a lieutenant and another top school official as part of its investigation.

The email also came after reported that the Uvalde school district had recently hired Crimson Elizondo, a former Texas Department of Public Safety agent who is under investigation for her response to the massacre.

Elizondo arrived minutes after the shooting began and was heard on body camera video saying that he would have responded differently had his own son been inside the school.

“If my son had been there, I wouldn’t have been outside,” he told another officer. “I promise you.”

The school district apologized to the families of the victims and the Uvalde community “for the pain this revelation has caused,” the district said last week. “Elizondo’s statement on the audio is not consistent with the District’s expectations.”

Elizondo was fired from the school district and refused to speak to .

While Harrell has announced a number of new safety measures for this school year, some Uvalde parents have been calling for the superintendent’s removal for months.

According to the meeting schedule Monday night, school board members will meet in closed session for a “consultation with an attorney on legal issues related to the superintendent’s retirement and transition.”

The agenda says that board members will resume the public portion of the meeting and “take action as possible regarding the removal of the superintendent.”

‘s Matthew J. Friedman and Rachel Clarke contributed to this report.