The kids from Robb Elementary School, alongside their parents and residents of Uvalde, want to demolish the old building where 21 people died due to one school shooter's rampage on Tuesday, May 24.
Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a representative of Uvalde, and Mayor Don McLaughlin both said via KENS 5 that the children do not want to return to the same school anymore. The Uvalde officials also believe no child could ever walk through the same corridors again after the school shooting. So, the only solution is to tear down the building and construct a new structure.
Guitierrez also said he had contacted the White House to inquire about Project SERV or the School Emergency Response to Violence grant. This funding is given to schools following a traumatic event.
A previous grant recipient included Newton Public School in Sandy Hook, following the December 2012 school shooting that killed 20 kids and six teachers. The school community used another building while the site of the massacre was torn down and rebuilt with a new facility.
The senator added that President Joe Biden would help secure the funds to build the new school.
Burial Underway for Uvalde Victims
A week following the Uvalde school shooting, a marathon of funerals will be underway for the victims, and families are preparing to say goodbye to their children and parents for the last time. According to CBS News, about 11 funeral arrangements have been planned for the small town this week, including the burial of teacher Irma Garcia.
Maite Rodriguez and Amerie Jo Garza were the first victims to be laid to rest on Tuesday, May 31, while the visitations have been ongoing for the other victims. Reports cited that memorial services in Uvalde will likely continue until June 16.
One father, however, will not be able to attend his daughter's funeral, Eliahna Torres. Eli Torres is serving 25 years in prison for selling cocaine. A judge has barred him from attending the funeral, but some lawmakers are working on an appeal for Biden's permission.
Eliahna Garcia's family, on the other hand, was supposed to be preparing for her 10th birthday bash on Monday, June 6. Instead, they are making arrangements for her burial.
Uvalde embalmers, morticians, and funeral directors had been pitching in and doing what they could to help the family. Some are there to do facial reconstructions due to the children's heavy damage because the gunman used a military-style assault rifle.
Coroner Haunted by Images of Uvalde Victims
Meanwhile, Eulalio Diaz, Jr., who serves as the town's Justice of the Peace and its de facto coroner since Uvalde is a small county, has to live with the burden of identifying the school shooting victims. Speaking with NPR, Diaz said he was in such a bad position on the day of the school shooting that he does not wish this job on anyone else.
Diaz had to help parents or grandparents identify the bodies. The saddest thing was Diaz knew a lot of these families in the Robb Elementary School community. He admitted nothing could have prepared him for the hours following the massacre.
The coroner saw first-hand the harm semi-automatic assault rifles could do to a body, especially on small kids with tiny limbs and bones. Diaz said he had no intentions of describing these images to anyone else.
"It's a picture that's going to stay in my head forever," Diaz said.
Related Article: Mom of Uvalde Shooter Says Her Son Was Not Violent; Boyfriend Admits They Didn't Get Along
