COMAL COUNTY — Oscar Sanchez filed a complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s Office after Comal ISD estimated $130,000 in costs to fulfill his narrowed public records request related to a school shooting on March 30, 2026. The dispute centers on the district’s refusal to provide documents regarding security incidents without payment of the substantial fee.

A student brought a gun to Hill Country College Preparatory High School on March 30, shot a teacher, and died by suicide. Comal ISD and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office have refused to identify the student shooter or the wounded teacher. The Texas Attorney General’s Office ruled that Comal County can withhold records about the shooter because he is a juvenile offender.

Sanchez filed a public information request with Comal ISD in April for records about incidents that triggered the district’s Standard Response Protocols over the past five years. Comal ISD attorneys estimated it would cost about $130,000 to search emails and produce security incident data after the request was narrowed twice. The district also estimated an additional $9,600 to produce security incident data.

After Sanchez narrowed the scope of his request twice, Comal ISD attorneys estimated the records would still cost about $130,000. Sanchez has not received the records requested from Comal ISD. He said he does not have that amount of money readily available to pay the fee.

He said it feels like the fee is being used as a tactic to discourage him from pursuing the request. He added that he does not want the district to move on from the incident without accountability. He said the district needs to reassure parents that their children will be safe, and that he has not received any assurance from school officials that his children will be safe.

Kelley Shannon is the executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. She said people should not face large bills when requesting public information. She said the cost estimate in this case stands out because the numbers are unusually high. A review of public records cost estimates issued by Comal ISD between April 2025 and May 2026 found the district issued eight cost estimates totaling more than $188,000.

During the same period, Judson ISD issued 49 cost estimates totaling about $17,800. She said the difference in cost estimates appears disproportionate.

Comal ISD declined to make Superintendent John Chapman available for an interview regarding the district’s response to the shooting. Christina Eckert is the Chief Communications Officer for Comal ISD. She said the safety and security of students and staff continues to be a top priority in Comal ISD.

She said that includes a layered security approach, deterring threats through mental health support and behavioral threat assessment teams, and focusing on prevention through dedicated law enforcement partnerships, upgraded silent panic alert technology, enhanced video surveillance and emergency communication systems. She added that the district formed a Safety and Security Task Force selected to represent the community’s experience, expertise, and perspective. This task force is actively meeting throughout the summer and into the fall, examining safety and security practices and developing recommendations for the state-mandated Safety and Security Committee.

She said Comal ISD is not the lead agency on the investigation and does not have investigative information to share. She said the investigation is being conducted by the Comal County Sheriff’s Office.

The high cost estimate for public records has drawn scrutiny regarding transparency in school districts following violent incidents. A review showing Comal ISD issued eight estimates totaling more than $188,000 between April 2025 and May 2026, compared to Judson ISD’s 49 estimates totaling about $17,800, shows a disparity in fee practices. Sanchez’s complaint to the Texas Attorney General’s Office seeks to address these costs, which he views as a barrier to obtaining information about school safety protocols.