Residents tell Comal ISD trustees to preserve pre‑K, keep SROs and remove harmful books

Public comment at the June 25 Comal ISD board meeting featured residents urging the board on a range of community concerns.

Samantha Elbel, a Garden Ridge resident, said the district acted prematurely to eliminate tuition‑based pre‑K at her campus and that state officials told her districts have until the 2027–28 school year to phase the programs out. “This is an impossible situation for most working parents,” she said, describing how state assignment to out‑of‑area campuses would burden full‑time families and military households.

Several speakers addressed curriculum and library safety. Orlando Dona, a former educator, urged trustees to remove “inappropriate and harmful content” from schools and libraries. Debbie Leimbach flagged a novel available at local high schools that she said contains detailed descriptions of suicide methods and argued trustees must weigh foreseeable risk and duty of care when selecting materials.

Christina Sloe, citing a petition of more than 1,300 community members, urged the board to maintain the existing partnership with the Bulverde Police Department and keep current school resource officers, emphasizing that long‑term relationships with officers build trust and safety.

Trustees thanked the commenters and noted that board members may not deliberate on items not on the agenda during the meeting; the administration said it had sent letters to the six campuses affected by the SRO transition and will continue communications with families.