Superintendent responds to school shootings

The nation is still in shock and grief over the killing of 20 first graders, the principal and five other school employees last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

According to news reports, the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, also killed his mother Nancy Lanza at their home before forcing his way into the school. He later took his own life.

On Monday, December 17 Morgan County School Superintendent David Banks released this statement about Friday’s shootings:

“It was with a very heavy heart that I watched the events of Friday unfold. Although there have been other tragedies such as this in our country, this one seemed to be the most difficult to watch or listen to as the details became more apparent.”

“The fact that the youngest of the victims were first graders, innocent children who went to school to hear their teacher read to them or to enjoy lunch with their friends or maybe to sing some Christmas music, and then to have that be their last day they would ever attend school is unimaginable.”

“We have asked for additional counseling support in Morgan County to help students ease the pain they have been feeling as a result of the incident in Connecticut. They were available all day today at the discretion of each school. Additional support will be available as needed the remainder of the week.”

“From a safety perspective, we always strive to make our schools as safe as possible. During the past five years, we have implemented many different safety measures to ensure that our children are safe, from bollards, to locked doors and call buttons, we are as safe as we ever have been.”

“We will continue to be diligent about safety in our county schools and continue to train our employees and practice necessary drills because with each training and each drill we learn more about what we can improve upon.”