Marshall County High School has invited a school crisis expert to spend three days assisting students and staff in their recovery from a school shooting that killed two and injured 18 others on January 23.
David Schonfeld is the director of theNational Center for School Crisis and Bereavementat the University of Southern California. He spoke at the high school Wednesday night to room of about 50 parents and students. He said it is clear that Marshall County High School cares about their students and staff. His goal, while at the school, is to provide strategies to sustain that caring environment.
“Communities do come together after these events and often go above and beyond and whatever they can to help each other. They will start talking more with each other, they will look out for their neighbors and their colleagues, they will become closer and more cohesive.”
Shonfeld said for example, “if the parent teacher organization was bringing in food to the teachers lounge and they got together and talked to each other about how they are doing and get to know each other better as individuals, and they like that sense of family--then decide that you will continue to bring in food for breakfast maybe one day a week or twice a week or even once a month so that you make that a tradition, that will be part of your culture.” Shonfeld said he advises the community to look at what they are doing that they like and then consciously continue it.
Schonfeld said it's unrealistic to expect children to recover from something that they don't feel has ended yet. He says a large and complicated part of the recovery process is providing an environment that feels safe.
Shonfeld has provided consultation and training on school crisis events and disasters for the last thirty years, including shootings in Las Vegas, Townville, South Carolina and Washington.
