While our city is piecing together how such a shooting could happen, our communities must pick up the pieces of a shattered sanctity we expect in our schools. Our children will need our enduring support and understanding in the weeks and months ahead as they work through the trauma they experienced today.

Lisa LaGrone, Project Haki coordinator, and her team arrived early at Gateway School where students were transported for safety. Project Haki is OBS’ violence prevention program.

“We learned a lot today that needs to inform future situations like this one,” said LaGrone. She and her team took on the role of helping to direct and calm anxious parents coming to pick up their loved ones from Gateway School. “It is important for all the agencies involved to come together and improve the response. Today was really hard for our families.”