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School Shooting Rocks Ohio Community
posted by: Alix | February 28, 2012, 07:01 PM   

Just days after a new federal report was released highlighting the decline in violent crimes in schools, tragedy struck a community outside of Cleveland, Ohio, when a high school student opened fire on his classmates in the Chardon High School cafeteria yesterday morning. While several students remain in critical condition, currently three students remain hospitalized and two students have died as a result of close range gunshot wounds.

Sources close to the investigation, as well as witnesses, identified the shooter as Lake Academy student TJ Lane. While he didn't attend school at the shooting site, he was often brought to the Chardon High to later be bused to his school for at-risk teens.

While the suspect was already attending a different school as a result of his bullying issues, his peers were shocked by yesterday's shooting. Students who spoke to local reporters said Lane was unpopular at school and bullied for his "goth" look, but they also said he seemed harmless.

"I sat in a seat in front of him. I rode the bus with him and his sister. And he would just talk and smile, and kind of laugh," one classmate recalled. "He seemed really sweet, like nothing was wrong with him."

Following the shooting, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called the ordeal an "unspeakable tragedy." Preliminary reports indicate that several teachers at Chardon High School saved countless lives by tackling the gunman and rushing other students to safety. "If it were not for the extraordinary courage of a teacher who chased the shooter out of the school, and if not for the speedy reaction of school leaders, the toll of these shootings could have been even worse."

The Ohio shooting is the worst at a U.S. high school in nearly 11 months and the worst in Ohio since late 2007, according to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

While many were shocked by the shooting, students familiar with the gunman mentioned to local reporters that Lane tweeted he was going to bring a gun to school but no one took him seriously. Other reports said it was a text to just a few close friends. Whatever the messages, clearly the warnings were not acted upon.

In light of the situation, AAE Executive Director Gary Beckner expressed his condolences. "Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and the entire community during this difficult time," said Beckner. "While many questions are still unanswered, we must commend the heroic teachers involved for their sound judgment and quick-thinking. Many lives were saved as a result of their courage."

In moving forward after such a horrible incident, it is critical for educators to realize the unique role they play in the prevention of violent crimes. For more information about the warning signs of violence, read the January edition of Education Matters featuring a story on the steps to take to prevent future tragedies

Do you have thoughts about the tragedy or school violence?
Comment below.

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