MARYSVILLE — When Marysville-Pilchuck High School students return to class on Monday, Nov. 3, it won’t be “school as usual.”
That pledge came from Superintendent Becky Berg, when school district, city and tribal officials spoke to parents in the M-P gym Oct. 28.
Berg informed parents that the Marysville School District has been corresponding with other school districts that have dealt with shootings.
“There’s obviously going to be different levels of student readiness,” said Berg, who added that lesson plans would take a backseat to addressing the students’ feelings.
Police Chief Rick Smith promised that law enforcement would step up its patrols and presence at all area schools, to further foster the students’ sense of security.
When Berg was asked why M-P was closed for a week, but not Marysville Getchell High School, she cited a return to relative normalcy as helpful for the grieving process.
“If they’re not ready to come back on Monday, so be it,” Berg said. “We won’t report you to the attendance police. But we’ve heard from Pilchuck students who were actually frustrated that they weren’t back in school already.”
Cheri Lovre, director of the Crisis Management Institute, has visited other schools in the wake of such shootings.
She explained that traumatic events of this scale affect our brains’ chemistry, making a return to familiar routines even more important.
“The healing process will begin for these students as soon as they hit the floors on Monday,” Lovre said. “If your children don’t return to class with their peers, they miss out on that. If they don’t know whether they can come back, make arrangements so they can call you, during every break if need be.”
When asked how much parents should share with special education students and younger children about the shooting, Lovre advocated honesty.
“If you’re not part of that conversation, the only wisdom they’ll be getting is from their peers,” Lovre said. “Kids know more than we think. Ask them what they’ve heard, and what worries them. Rather than trying to solve the problem for them, ask them to tell you more. And instead of saying, ‘Don’t worry,’ say, ‘I’m so glad you told me that.'”
One thing M-P students will not have to face for the foreseeable future is the cafeteria where the shooting took place Oct. 24.
Berg has no plans of sending students back there without “a significant makeover.”
Berg hopes that students won’t be required to make up their missed days at the end of the year, since “sometimes, regulations don’t match up to real life.”
