Apalachee High School principal shares heartfelt message on YouTube
BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - Apalachee High School Principal Jessica Rehberg recently shared a heartfelt message with staff and students on YouTube.
"I miss you, and I love this community. One week ago, our lives were changed forever, and we tragically lost four people who will always be a part of us. My heart is with their families and those who are recovering," she said in her video message.
Rehberg also addressed when students and staff might return to Apalachee High School.
"Staff, you are truly the best. You are the most important part of CHEE Nation. You make us who we are. You are loved. You are needed. Thank you for taking the hard steps to walk back on campus. I know many of you want to be back in our beloved Apalachee building, and I know some of you aren’t ready. While we do not have specific plans for returning to school yet, we respect how you are feeling. We hope to have more information to share with you very soon," she added.
On Sept. 4, a 14-year-old student named Colt Gray opened fire inside the high school in Barrow County. Two students and two teachers were killed, and nine others were injured. Gray was taken into custody within minutes of the shooting.
Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder and is facing additional charges.
His father, Colin Gray, was arrested later for allegedly purchasing the gun for his son as a present. He has been charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Students and staff were allowed to return to the school on Monday to retrieve their belongings, while students and staff at other Barrow County schools resumed classes on Tuesday.
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In the aftermath of school shootings, the timeline for reopening schools varies. Following the November 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School in Detroit, Michigan, it took nearly two months for students to return to class. However, they did not return to the building where the shooting took place. That building remained closed and was demolished on June 14, 2024.
At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, the entire campus was closed for two weeks after 17 students and staff were killed in 2018. The building where the shooting occurred was closed, its windows covered, and it was eventually replaced with a new structure.
Columbine High School in Colorado closed for the remainder of the school year after 12 students and one teacher were killed in a mass shooting on April 20, 1999. The school reopened for the next school year, except for the library, where most of the victims were killed. That area was demolished and rebuilt.
After 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on Dec. 14, 2012, the entire school was demolished and rebuilt.
There are many factors to consider before a school can reopen, including security measures and emotional support for the returning students and staff.