YOU KNOW, AS WE LEARN MORE. WE’RE GOING TO POST IT ONLINE. AND OF COURSE, WE’LL BE BACK
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE DAY. YES
FOR STREAMING PLUS ETCETERA. OF
COURSE, OUR INTENTION CONTINUES
TO BE ON THE VICTIMS, AND WE ARE
LEARNING THAT ALL THREE OF THE
STUDENTS THAT WERE KILLED IN
MICHIGAN STATE’S UNIVERSITY LAST
NIGHT ARE ALL FOR METRO DETROIT.
ONE OF THOSE VICTIMS IS FROM
CLAWSON. AND THE SUPERINTENDENT
OF CLAUSSEN SCHOOLS, MAKING THE
ANNOUNCEMENT JUST MOMENTS AGO
THAT IT WAS ONE OF THEIR OWN AND
JOINS US NOW LIVE WITH MORE AND
I WANT TO EXPRESS MY DEEPEST
CONDOLENCES TO YOU AND ALSO YOUR
STUDENT BODY SUPERINTENDENT FOR
CLASS IN SCHOOLS. BILLY
SHELLENBERGER. THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING ME. APPRECIATE IT,
RHONDA. THANKS FOR HAVING ME AND
SO YOU CAN TALK US THROUGH HOW
YOU LEARNED THAT IT WAS A FORMER
STUDENT FROM CLAWSON. UM I
LEARNED I SHUT MY PHONE OFF AT
ABOUT 12 45 AM, UM, WHEN I FOUND
OUT THAT THE INDIVIDUAL, UM HAD
PASSED THE SHOOTER AND WOKE UP
TO A CALL AT FIVE A.M. FROM MY
SISTER PRINCIPLE. AND, UH,
INFORMING ME. THAT ALEX WAS ONE
OF THE THREE VICTIMS THIS
MORNING AND IMMEDIATELY UM,
JUMPED INTO ACTION RELATED TO
HOW DO WE HANDLE THIS AS A
DISTRICT AND AS A COMMUNITY? UM
AND I’VE BEEN IN THE THEN IN IN
THE OFFICE EVER SINCE. SO, UM,
TOUGH TOUGH LAST 12 HOURS.
ABSOLUTELY TOUGH LAST 12 HOURS
AND SOMETHING THAT’S SO CLOSE TO
HOME FOR YOU AND YOUR SCHOOL
COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF CLASSES
TODAY FOR STUDENTS THAT MAY HAVE
KNOWN ALEX HOW IS THAT BEING
HANDLED AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL FOR
THE STUDENTS THERE? WELL, WE’RE
FORTUNATE TO HAVE A FANTASTIC
CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM INTERNALLY
, SO THEY WE IMMEDIATELY YOU
KNOW, RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE AND
SEVEN O’CLOCK HOUR AS SOON AS
PEOPLE CAN GET HERE STARTED THAT
PROCESS OF MEETING ORGANIZING,
PLANNING, UM, COMMUNICATING TO
OUR STAFF DIRECTLY. WE WANTED
THEM TO HEAR IT FROM FROM US
STARTED WITH THEIR HIGH SCHOOL
MIDDLE SCHOOL STAFF AND THEN AND
THEN WORKED OUR WAY TO OUR
ELEMENTARY AND TO ENSURE THAT
THEY AGAIN HEARD IT FROM US
FIRST. AND THEN FROM THERE WE,
YOU KNOW, STARTED TO UTILIZE OUR
NETWORK. WE’RE A SMALL DISTRICT
AND BUT BEING IN OAKLAND COUNTY,
WE’RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE AMAZING
PARTNERS. REACHED OUT TO OUR
PARTNERS AND ROYAL OAK SCHOOLS.
WILDLIFE CONSOLIDATED OAKLAND
SCHOOLS. I S D. FOR SOME
RESOURCES WALLED LAKE BROUGHT IN
THERAPY. DOGS FOR US ROYAL OAK
JOINED OUT OUR CRISIS TEAM WITH
MORE SOCIAL WORKERS, SO WE’RE
HEAVILY STAFFED RELATED TO, UM
MAKING SURE STUDENTS AND STAFF
ARE SUPPORTED TODAY. UM AND I
CAN’T THANK THOSE THOSE OAKLAND
COUNTY PARTNERS ENOUGH FOR ALL
THEIR SUPPORT. BERKELEY HAS HAS
JUMPED IN AND HELPED US QUITE A
BIT AS WELL. SO IT’S ALL HANDS
ON DECK TODAY. IT’S CERTAINLY
MOVING TO SEE ALL OF THAT SHOW
OF SUPPORT. IT’S CERTAINLY THIS
CLIMATE THAT WE’RE IN HAS
CHANGED WHAT IT MEANS TO EDUCATE
CHILDREN AND THE WRAPAROUND
SERVICES THAT ARE NEEDED ONGOING
. NOT JUST THIS CONNECTION
TODAY, BUT WHAT THEY’RE SEEING
THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY ON A
REGULAR BASIS IN TERMS OF SCHOOL
VIOLENCE AND MASS SHOOTINGS. HOW
IS THAT CHANGE YOUR LEADERSHIP?
WELL IT’S CHANGED. IT’S
SIGNIFICANTLY RHONDA OVER TIME.
IT’S NEVER BEEN TOUGHER TO LEAD
AND TO BE AN EDUCATOR AND BE A
STUDENT. UM, YOU KNOW THAT THEN
NOW EXCUSE ME. SO AS A DAD.
YEAH, THE SECOND GRADER. IT’S
IMPORTANT FOR ME TO STAY STRONG
AND COMMITTED TO OUR COMMUNITY
AND TO OUR FAMILIES. TO ENSURE
THAT THEIR KIDS GET HOME EVERY
NIGHT. HOW DO WE DO THAT? THOSE
WRAPAROUND SERVICES YOU YOU
MENTIONED ARE CRUCIAL, YOU KNOW,
STRUCTURAL SAFETY CRUCIAL. WE’RE
IN THE IN THE MIDST OF A MASSIVE
BOND PROJECT AND SECURING OUR
ENTRANCES AND, UM, WORKING ON,
YOU KNOW, PERSONNEL
OPPORTUNITIES THAT CAN CAN
STRENGTHEN OUR DISTRICT AND ALL
OF THAT, UM, YOU KNOW THERE
THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET AND NO
QUICK AND EASY ANSWER. IT’S A
TEAM EFFORT. IT’S A COMMUNITY
EFFORT. THANK GOODNESS THAT WE
LIVE IN THE SMALL COMMUNITY THAT
THAT WE DO. WELL I’VE THAT’S WE
HAVE THAT SUPPORT. WE’RE
BLESSED. WE’RE BLESSED. FEEL
YOUR EMOTION AND I AM SO DEEPLY
SORRY FOR THE LOSS TO THE CLASS
AND FAMILY, OUR HEARTS AND OUR
PRAYERS GO OUT TO ALL OF YOU AND
TO ALEX’S FAMILY AS WELL. THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME
TO TALK WITH US AND GIVE US SOME
PERSPECTIVE OF HOW COSTS AND IS
COPING WITH THIS NEWS. RHONDA
BEFORE I GO. I’D BE REMISS IF I
DIDN’T TELL YOU THAT. ALEXANDRIA
VERNER, UM, YOU WOULD NEVER MEET
A HIGHER CHARACTER, KIDDO. UM,
HAPPIER HUMAN BEING A KINDER
PERSON, UM, EVERY SINGLE DAY
KNOWN HER SINCE SHE WAS A
KINDERGARTENER 2008. UM AND SHE
WALKED THE WALK THE REAL DEAL.
UM AND SHE WILL BE MISSED BY
EVERYONE. EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN
THIS COMMUNITY BECAUSE OF THE
TREMENDOUS TREMENDOUS IMPACT
THAT SHE HAS HAD IN ALL OF US.
THAT IS A FACT. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR SHARING THAT ABOUT HER
AND GONE TOO SOON, AND I’M JUST
SO DEEPLY SORRY TO HER FAMILY
AND TO EVERYONE THAT KNEW AND
LOVED HER. SHE SHOULD STILL BE
HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE
APPRECIATE IT. WE WILL HAVE
CONTINUING COVERAGE. AS WE GO
THROUGH THE NEXT HALF HOUR.
WE’RE GOING TO BE STAYING ON THE
AIR HERE THROUGH ONE O’CLOCK, SO
WE’LL BE CHECKING BACK IN IN
EAST LANSING AT MICHIGAN STATE
UNIVERSITY, AS OUR COVERAGE
CONTINUES ON THIS TRAGEDY THAT
IS ROCKED THAT CAMPUS AND OUR
ENTIRE STATE AND AS YOU HAVE
BEEN HEARING VERY CLOSE TIES TO
THE VICTIMS THAT LOST THEIR
LIVES LAST NIGHT, TOO, FROM
GROSSE POINTE AND ONE THERE FROM