EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Questions about school safety and security at El Paso ISD surfaced in disciplinary memos issued to former district police Chief Manuel Chavira in the months before he retired, according to documents obtained by KFOX14/CBS4.
KFOX14/CBS4 requested documents surrounding Chavira’s retirement through an open records request in February however did not receive the corresponding documents until
The records, reviewed by KFOX14/CBS4, include a letter of reprimand, a memo of concern and Chavira’s retirement letter.
Julia Spencer reports on Documents reveal safety concerns before former EPISD police chief’s retirement (Credit: KFOX14)
RELATED: El Paso ISD police chief Manuel Chavira retires
Chavira, who served as the district’s police chief for five years, received a letter of reprimand and statement of expectations in October 2025 from then-Interim Superintendent/former Chief Financial Officer, Martha Aguirre.
The memo said a meeting was held on Oct. 24 to discuss “serious concerns regarding the district’s safety and security.”
In the memo, Aguirre directed Chavira to develop a districtwide safety plan, improve oversight of intruder detection audits, strengthen communication with district leadership and provide regular status reports on campus security efforts.
Chavira signed the document but added a note stating: “I do not agree with the contents and request an opportunity to respond accordingly.”
A second memo, dated Jan. 8th and also obtained by KFOX14/CBS4, came from new Superintendent Dr. Brian Lusk and raised additional concerns about school safety compliance.
It warned that failure to follow district directives “will result in further disciplinary action.”
A few weeks later, Chavira sent a retirement letter to superintendent Dr. Lusk on Jan. 30th.
In his retirement letter, he said he could not support actions he believed would “compromise safety and security to meet unrealistic budget expectation.”
Parts of the retirement letter and memos are redacted due to state law.
You can read the full retirement letters and memos before:
Following KFOX14/CBS4’s review of the records, the station sat down with El Paso ISD’s new police chief, Donica Pedregon.
RELATED: El Paso ISD names Donica Pedregon police chief, first woman to lead department
Pedregon said the transition in leadership has been smooth.
“It’s been a seamless transition. I was the lieutenant for their department, so nothing has changed. We’re just continuing to improve our security, but we have things in place already,” Pedregon said.
Asked whether every EPISD campus currently meets state school safety requirements, Pedregon answered, “Yes.”
Pedregon said the district has “armed guards or police at every single campus” and has been focusing on “single point entries” throughout the district.
She also said the district has more than 70 campuses and now has armed security at each one.
When asked by KFOX14/CBS4 whether there previously was not an armed guard at every school, Pedregon responded, “Correct.”
Pedregon declined to discuss Chavira’s concerns, saying, “I can’t comment on any personnel issues, but I can tell you that, you know, we again, we have the armed security at all the campuses.”
Pedregon said the department has 30 officers and relies on contracted armed security personnel to help cover campuses across the district.
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