Following a hearing Nov. 19 regarding the reburial of human remains found at Fort Bend ISD's James Reese Career and Technical Education Center construction site, the district has been asked to obtain more community feedback before the 434th Judicial District Court in Fort Bend County moves forward with a ruling.
Judge James Shoemake said it would be best to revisit about the reburial in March, FBISD Chief Communications Officer Veronica Sopher said.
The FBISD board of trustees and Sugar Land City Council agree the remains found should be reburied at the Old Imperial Prison Farm Cemetery adjacent to the district's construction site. However, members of the City Manager's Task Force through Sugar Land put forth a recommendation for reburying the remains where they were originally found.
The task force has since been dissolved, and the district is forming an advisory committee that will meet to discuss reburial.
The district is also working to gain permission from the Texas Historical Commission to perform DNA testing on the exhumed remains, Sopher said. Although the Texas Historical Commission has told the district it does not have the authority to grant this permission, Sopher said FBISD wants the commission to reconsider because it has granted permission on matters like this before.