Area Schools React to Chardon Shooting

A student is dead and four others injured after

School districts in the area responded quickly, sending notes to parents and students reassuring them of their own safety practices in the event of a dangerous situation.

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See below for area school district's reactions, and watch throughout the day as more reactions are added.

Superintendent Rich Markwardt sent an email to parents just before 10 a.m. noting that the students practiced lockdown drills with Beachwood Police earlier this year and that officers were dispatched to keep an eye on Beachwood schools when the news broke this morning.

In a note to students and staff, Principal Bob Hardis reminded them that the best defense against this type of violence is early detection – he asked that anyone who is concerned about their safety to alert staff.

“As we keep the victims from Chardon in our thoughts and prayers, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns spurred by today's awful events,” he wrote.

Spokeswoman Tamara Strom said that officers were also dispatched to Solon Schools when the news of the shooting hit this morning, and a note was sent to parents about what was going on. The district works closely with police and has a lockdown plan.

"You cannot plan for every single eventuality, but the general planning covers those first critical minutes so you can make sure students and staff are safe," Strom said.
Strom stressed that it’s important for people to report anything that may be construed as a threat to the safety of the schools.

Superintendent Kathi Powers told Twinsburg Patch that she’s been monitoring the situation all morning and that, like other school districts, Twinsburg has a Crisis Plan that is updated annually and a police officer is present at the school every day.

Brecksville Patch was there last year when students participated in a lockdown drill at Central School. and click here for a video from one such drill at the middle school.

Superintendent Randy Boroff said that the school staff also go through lockdown training, working very closely with the police department, and the schools are locked down once school begins. He added, "We are aware that these things can happen and we do everything that we can and hope that we have as much in place as possible to avoid or unfortunately deal with this type of situation."

From its website: "Every Mentor Schools staff member has immediate access to all district safety procedures through an interoffice website. We believe to ensure the safety of our students and staff, it is best to keep those documents internal only."

Lake Catholic High School has also posted on its Facebook page, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Chardon High School community today."

Superintendent Doug Heuer sent an email to parents stating that the district practices lockdowns and uses many kinds of technoligy to communicate with parents. "Unfortunately, no district can fully prepare for such unthinkable acts. Since some parents have asked, please know that the CH-UH School District is as prepared as possible," Heuer added.