One week after a student shot and killed himself in the bathroom at Jackson Memorial Middle School in Jackson Township, the Superintendent held a special board meeting to talk about the district’s response to the shooting and answer questions from parents.
The student snuck a .22 caliber rifle into the middle school last Tuesday and wound up shooting himself in a bathroom. He was found with a backpack carrying ammunition and distractionary devices.
Hundreds of parents showed up to the special school board meeting Tuesday night, hoping to hear from school officials that something like that won’t happen again.
"Our staff, unbelievable, I’m telling you, unbelievable," said Chris DiLoreto, Jackson Township Superintendent.
DiLoreto told the crowd that staff at Jackson Memorial Middle School last Tuesday did exactly what they should have in the minutes following the shooting.
Hundreds of parents listened on, hoping to hear that the school has plan in place to make sure another life isn't lost.
"We’ve got to be very careful with what we can say. That does not give you comfort a week after a shooting that took place in our schools," said DiLoreto.
Officials were understandably tight lipped about their security protocols, but parents made sure to clear the air around one major question - how a .22 caliber rifle was snuck onto a school bus and then inside the school.
"I needed to know about the bussing system, because my kids rode the bus before the incident - they don’t now," said middle school parent, Rose Wernecke.
Still, there was an overwhelming sense of appreciation from parents on what was a terrifying day.
"They did a great job that day. My kids felt safe, I felt that they were in good hands and they were very professional in handling the whole situation," said Rima Magaes.
"Just hearing their perspective from it just opened my eyes a little bit more, gave me a comfort level," said Elizabeth Schreck.
The School Board also passed a resolution Tuesday night that will install surveillance cameras on every one of the district’s school buses by the next school year.
