But there was little talk Monday about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings at the Jackson Street School, according to students.
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James Gross, Josh Redmond and Gail Perrier, clockwise from top, all of Northampton, talk Monday about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Connecticut.
NORTHAMPTON – It could never happen here.
If the people of Newtown, Conn., thought that about their elementary school, it’s what the parents with children at the Jackson Street Elementary School thought as well. At least until Friday.
On that day, a 20-year-old gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire with an assault rifle at Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing 26 schoolchildren and teachers before shooting himself in the head. Lanza used a semi-automatic assault rifle for his killing spree.
With a population of about 27,000, Newtown is a tad smaller than Northampton. According to residents there, it was also a place where people felt safe until Friday.
As he waited for his grandchild outside Jackson Street School Monday, James Gross called the Sand Hook shooting the kind of tragedy no one can see coming.
“Nobody expects it until it happens,” he said. “It’s one of those things you’ll never fix.”
Gail Perrier, who came up pick up her three grandchildren, said she always worries about them. Still, Perrier feels the school, like others in the area, has a good security system.
“I talked to them about it last night,” Perrier said. “My granddaughter started crying. I said, ‘Your teachers are very, very good here.”
Josh Redmond said he thought what millions of parents across the country thought when he heard about the shootings: What if it happened where my son went to school? Redmond said he didn't discuss the incident much with his son, who attends kindergarten at Jackson Street.
“I told him something bad happened and that was kind of the end of it,” he said.
Summer Cable would only talk in generalities about the shootings in front of her kindergartener.
“It’s worrisome in that it’s happening more and more,” she said. “But I think we have a pretty good community and they take decent care of each other.”
While some parents talked openly about the tragedy with their young children, others were cautious. Sonia Molina said she was waiting to see what kind of questions her third grader had.
“I want to see what she learned today.”
But there was little talk about Sandy Hook at Jackson Street on Monday, according to students. Emily Sanchez said only one of her friends mentioned it, and fellow first grader Tanaiya Davis, 7, said she felt safe in school.
According to first grade teacher Ellen Brown, it was just a typical day at Jackson Street.
“There was no mention of Friday’s incident in our classroom,” she said.
However, Principal Gwen Agna said she emailed all parents about the matter and met with staff Monday morning “to make sure we can manage our own emotions.” Parents gathered at the school on Friday to talk about the shootings, Agna said. Jackson Street also hosted a candlelight vigil Sunday that drew some 90 people.
Schools all over Western Massachusetts sought ways Monday to deal with the tragedy.
In Amherst, Superintendent of schools Maria Geryk, in a message posted on the school system's website, said staff would meet before school Monday to prepare for the days ahead.
"Counselors, school psychologists, and other key staff members have been provided with developmentally appropriate information on how to handle questions or concerns that may be raised in any of the schools," Geryk wrote. "There will not be any teacher initiated conversation in the elementary and middle school classrooms; guidance appointments will be available throughout the day for students who may be having trouble processing information they may have learned over the weekend."
In Ludlow, Superintendent of schools Todd Gazda said administrators would collaborate with police and fire officials in a review of the district's safety procedures.
"We will conduct additional training for our staff and in the upcoming months run drills to insure that our students know how to handle themselves and are familiar with emergency procedures," Gazda wrote in a message appearing on the district's website.
Police greeted students and parents Monday morning at all five Easthampton schools and will continued greet students at each school all week, said Robert Orlando, principal of the Center and Pepin elementary schools.
In South Hadley, Police Chief David LaBrie said he stationed cruisers near each of the town’s schools, “to have a presence and hopefully just give the community a sense of security.”
Police, in addition to the stationed cruiser, were especially visible outside Plains Elementary School Monday morning because of an ongoing road detail in front of the school, LaBrie said.
Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea said teams of teachers, counselors and administrators in the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District met over the weekend to discuss the district's response.
"Our main priority on Monday and subsequent days, is to help children who are distressed feel cared for, supported and safe," O'Shea wrote in a letter to parents.
O'Shea said staff members would not discuss the details of the shootings with children at any grade level. However, he said staff had been instructed to "validate children's feelings," and he encouraged parents and guardians to talk with their children "... in an age-appropriate way that makes sense to you as a parent."
"Given our shared sense of grief and concern, I am writing to assure parents that our schools are ready to support the emotional needs of our children," West Springfield superintendent Russell Johnston wrote in a message to parents. "Principals, teachers, and counselors will provide guidance and support to our children throughout the week. For most students, this will mean acknowledging the tragedy, answering their questions, and providing reassurance. For others, particularly children who have been impacted by other traumatic events in their lives, we will provide more direct counseling."
Gateway Regional High School in Huntington, meanwhile, offered a moment of silence in memory of the victims and has counselors available for students who may want to talk about the shootings, according to spokeswoman Wendy Long.
Gateway, along with other security measures, has a safety hotline for anybody with concerns regarding safety and potential hazards to call. Voice mails left at that number, (413) 685-1050, are regularly reviewed by the building’s security monitor, Long said.
Staff writers Greg Saulmon and Diane Lederman contributed to this report.