BULVERDE, Texas – More than two weeks after a shooting inside a Bulverde classroom left a teacher wounded and a student dead, Comal ISD is facing growing questions about why it has not released basic information — including the names of the teacher and the student who fired the gun.
The shooting happened on March 30 at Hill Country College Preparatory School. Authorities have said a 15-year-old boy shot a teacher before taking his own life.
Comal ISD Superintendent Dr. John Chapman addressed the mounting questions in a video the district released last night, saying federal privacy laws prevent the district from releasing the names of the teacher or the gunman.
“Specifically, FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, provides a privacy protection for students at the elementary and secondary do not expire upon the death of a minor. Those rights rest with the student’s parents,” Chapman said.
Attorney Joe Hoelscher said that after major tragedies, the public often pushes for more information.
“Whenever we have a major tragedy like this, people want more information,” Hoelscher said.
Hoelscher said FERPA — the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act — includes exceptions, and he does not believe it would shield the shooter’s identity or broader information about campus safety.
“It wouldn’t protect general information about the campus, its security, and it wouldn’t protect the identity of a shooter, somebody who committed a criminal offense,” Hoelscher said.
He added that while information tied to the teacher’s medical condition would be protected, there is still significant public interest in what the district is doing to address school safety.
“General information about the campus’s security and what the campus is going to be doing to move forward to enhance security in the wake of a shooting is really important for parents,” Hoelscher said.
The Comal County Sheriff’s Office was asked whether there is any law preventing it from releasing the shooter’s name, but it has not responded to that request.
Abel Pena, who spent more than 20 years with the FBI, said discretion can be critical during sensitive criminal investigations.
“There’s always things going on behind the scenes. It’s just law enforcement is not going to publicize everything. They’re not going to put out there every step of what they’re doing,” Pena said.
An update has been confirmed about the teacher who was wounded: She was released from the hospital last week. No additional information was provided about her condition.