Advisory: Principals Who Experienced Gun Violence Release Updated Guide to Aid Schools After Shootings
School Leaders Update Post-Shooting Recovery Guide With Lessons From Columbine, Sandy Hook and Parkland
School principals responding to shootings will have an updated resource designed to address both the immediate crisis and the prolonged recovery that follows.
The National Principals Association’s Principal Recovery Network prepared a second edition of its Guide to Recovery, drawing on the experiences of 19 current and former school leaders whose campuses have been affected by gun violence. The association scheduled a Sept. 24 presentation of the guide in Parkland, Florida.
The updated publication is intended to provide practical direction for school leaders and communities after a shooting, including during the initial response and through longer-term decisions that can continue for years, the association said.
Contributors include current and former principals from Columbine High School in Colorado, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Other Principal Recovery Network members from New York, Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky also participated.
The guide follows an original edition published four years earlier at the Columbine Memorial. The network was created to connect school leaders who have experienced gun violence in their buildings and to share recovery practices with peers facing similar circumstances.
The Parkland event’s scheduled speakers included former Columbine Principal Frank DeAngelis; Marjory Stoneman Douglas Principal Michelle Kefford; National Principals Association CEO Ronn Nozoe; Parkland Mayor Rich Walker; and Marcus Belin, president of the National Principals Association.
A panel was also set to include Michael Bennett of the New York State Education Department, West Liberty Salem High School Principal Greg Johnson, former Central Visual and Performing Arts High School Principal Kacy Shahid, Sandy Hook Elementary Principal Kathy Gombos and Kentucky Center for School Safety Resource Center Director Patricia Greer.