UVALDE, Texas — The father of Jacklyn Cazares wants the school where his daughter died on May 24 to be torn down.
Javier Cazares said he wants to see a permanent memorial built in honor of the 21 victims killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
"The kids and teachers, they shouldn't have to go back to that school. They're not gonna want to go back to that school," said Cazares.
His request echoes similar calls made by elected officials.
Over the weekend, Rep. Tony Gonzales tweeted he is 'working with many private and public partners to ensure no child will have to return to Robb Elementary'.
In an interview with KENS 5 on Sunday, Rep. Gonzales said he sent a letter to the Department of Education and the Department of Justice requesting emergency federal grants to help with the upcoming school year.
The letter sates, 'The speedy disbursement of Department of Justice grants would improve school safety, provide for additional school resource officers, and offer much-needed physical, emotional, and financial support to Uvalde.'
Last week KENS 5 reported, Sen. Roland Gutierrez said President Biden offered to secure a federal grant for demolition.
Gutierrez says the White House contacted his office about allocating a School Emergency Response to Violence grant, commonly referred to as a “Project SERV” distribution.
The money is earmarked specifically to help schools “recover from a violent or traumatic event in which the learning environment is disrupted,” according the Project SERV website.
Past recipients include Newtown Public Schools, home to Sandy Hook, and Texas’s Santa Fe ISD.
As for rebuilding a new school, Rep. Joaquin Castro said he is pushing for one.
'I'm going to be pushing the president and governor to work together to make sure they're able to build them a new school... so the kids who survive and their relatives don't have to go back to Robb Elementary."
It's unlikely a new school could be built before the start of the new school year on August 15. For now, the school district is deciding how to realign school enrollment.