PLYMOUTH, Minn. — A group of parents gathered before the start of classes Thursday morning to welcome students back to Plymouth Middle School. Everyone had been in distance learning since Monday, when a 12-year-old student brought a gun to school and fired it into the ceiling.
Some stood on the sidewalk waving signs of support as buses and other parents dropped the students off. Others handed out snacks, and shared a kind word as those kids filed into the building.
The idea to welcome students and faculty back with extra love and support came from a few parents in the district who wanted to brighten everyone's day, following a scary and emotional start to their week.
"You know, right now I feel like it's such a tough time in our world, communities in general, that now I think we all collectively feel like we need to come together," said parent Latanya Lethert. "Even though this is a simple, but I think effective, way to show up with love and light after such an emotionally impactful week."
"I think the road is long for recovery and the pain and fear for students, the faculty, the community, and the parents is still super new and fresh," Lethert continued. "But I think that if we can hopefully wrap our arms around each other as a community... to start to heal and look forward to brighter days."
At a virtual meeting with families Wednesday night, school officials told parents that extra staff, some from other schools in the district, will be on site today to help students with any emotional support they may need after such a stressful incident.
On April 26, Plymouth Police Chief Erik Fadden said officers responded to the middle school around 8:44 a.m. on a call of shots fired. Multiple shots were fired into the ceiling outside a bathroom, according to interim Robbinsdale Area Schools Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Burrage. Several students witnessed the shooting.
During a press conference following the incident Burrage said the first person to respond to the shots was Kim Royston, the school's assistant principal, followed by the school resource officer.
No one was injured.
"When the time is right, please take a moment to talk with your student about school safety," Burrage said Monday. "It's critical that students understand the importance of reporting unsafe situations to an adult staff member immediately."
Police took the student who fired the shots into custody without incident. The student's name has not been released by authorities, and their case will be handled in juvenile court.