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U.S. NEWS Thursday 11 april 2019

Principals from schools with shootings form support network

By KANTELE FRANKO tional responses.
Associated Press Principal Warman Hall, of
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — In New Mexico’s Aztec High
the days after a teenager School, eventually con-
shot and killed three fellow nected with DeAngelis
students at Ohio’s Char- after two students died
don High School in 2012, in a 2017 shooting on the
then-Principal Andy Fetchik school’s campus. But Hall
remembers getting a call said he, too, felt a sense of
from someone who knew isolation and could have
just what he was experi- used someone with prior
encing. experience as a sounding
It was Frank DeAngelis, the board while initially sorting
principal of Columbine out a recovery plan.
High School in Littleton, Col- Schools typically have pro-
orado, during the deadly tocols for the immediate
1999 shooting. DeAngelis response, he said, but it
told him: It’s going to be can be much more com-
OK. You’ll get through this. plicated to figure out what
If you have questions, feel follows — how to restore a
free to call me. focus on learning, address
Fetchik called, and he mental health needs for
found DeAngelis to be a both students and employ-
comfort and a resource as In this March 23, 2019 file photo, former Columbine principal Frank DeAngelis reflects about the ees, and navigate anniver-
Chardon began its recov- upcoming 20th anniversary of the mass shooting at the suburban Denver high school. saries and commemora-
ery. Associated Press tions, for example.
“This is the network each of decades. Kentucky’s Marshall Coun- School in East Greenbush, “You’ve got to deal with all
us wishes we had when the “We’re not experts in re- ty High School, Johnson New York. the issues of recovery, and
shooting occurred in our covery, but we’re experts wanted to offer help but Bennett said it would have that starts happening just
school,” DeAngelis said in a in the fact that we lived had trouble connecting been helpful back then to as soon as you try to re-es-
written statement. through it,” Fetchik said, with the principal — under- hear from a voice of experi- tablish contact and get the
The Principals Recovery “and I think that it will pro- standable, he said, given ence about how the situa- kids back on campus and
Network will also advocate vide a resource that kind the crush of communica- tion might impact him long get the teachers back on
for educational resources of confirms to the school tions, support and well- term and how colleagues campus,” he said. “There’s
and policies to help schools leader that there’s others wishes that a school must might have varying emo- no template for that.”q
prevent violence. It con- out there and they’re not sort through in such circum-
vened this month ahead of alone.” stances. Johnson waited
the 20th anniversary of the When a teenager shot and months, tried again and
Columbine shooting. wounded a classmate at eventually connected with
The group, organized by West Liberty-Salem High the principal to share some
the National Association School in 2017, leaders from of what he’d learned with
of Secondary School Prin- two other Ohio schools that her, he said.
cipals, includes 17 cur- experienced shootings The new network gives that
rent and former principals reached out with valuable kind of outreach structure
from schools in 11 states, suggestions, such as having and a centralized contact,
including Marjory Stone- an open house before re- participants said.
man Douglas High School suming classes so students “What better group of peo-
in Parkland, Florida, the site and staff could ease back ple to do it than the folks
of a shooting in 2018. Col- into the building that some who have experienced
lectively, the participants had fled, Principal Greg it?” said Michael Bennett,
have lost more than 40 stu- Johnson said. a former principal who was
dents and staff and seen A year later, after two stu- shot in the leg by a student
scores more wounded in dents were fatally shot in 2004 when he was a
shootings over the past two and others wounded at teacher at Columbia High