One week after a student entered Freeman High School and shot four students, killing one, Freeman School District Superintendent Randy Russell says the students are moving closer to normalcy and wellness.
In a statement Wednesday, Russell said all three schools will be back on a normal school day schedule starting Thursday, but that counseling support will continue to be available for anyone who needs it.
You can read Russell's full statement below:
"Every day, we move a little further along in our healing process toward wellness and I cannot say enough how proud and appreciative I am of our kids, our staff, and our Freeman families. An important part of moving forward is acknowledging and processing what has happened.
Today, all three schools moved closer to a normal school schedule today. Our staff continues to read the meter on how to use their designated class time, but overall the kids are working at getting back into their regular routine. Our kids seemed to be more energized today than we’ve seen. We even saw a lot more kids on the bus today, which was great. Activities are almost completely back in full swing and we do have a lot of upcoming home games coming up. We had counselors campus-wide ready to provide support if needed or wanted and we still have our therapy dogs here, which continues to be reassuring. We will continue to keep an eye on staff and students and I am so thankful for our students and staff who are staying sensitive to their peers’ needs. We have a great support system here at Freeman and I am so proud and grateful.
Tomorrow, all three schools will be on a normal school day schedule with our staff continuing to gauge on how to proceed during designated class time. Daily activities will take place and we will also continue to have counseling support throughout the campus available for anyone that wants or needs it. We have counseling services scheduled out for the next two weeks with the help of our neighboring school districts to ensure that there will be no shortage of support for our students, staff or our parents
Again, thanks to everyone in our community and beyond who have been unbelievable in supporting our Freeman Family. We will be forever grateful."
(story: Matt Pusatory, KHQ Local News Web Producer; photo: KHQ.com)