Madison Superintendent Curtis Philpot said the guidance from Chardon has been invaluable in the days since the shooting on Feb. 29. He said there is no playbook for officials to follow after a school shooting.
“They have walked us through the next steps,” he told this news outlet in an exclusive interview after the conference call. “On Tuesday, we asked, ‘What does Wednesday need to look like?’ We will continue those conversations.”
The day after the shooting, there were no classes in the Madison district, but the buildings were open to the students and parents. Philpot said it was important to get them back in the school soon after the shooting.
That plan worked in Chardon. Madison followed suit.
“That was a huge positive,” Philpot said. For schools that have shootings, holding an open house “is something everybody needs to do,” he said.
Philpot, of course, knows there is no comparison between the shooting at Chardon and Madison.
On Feb. 27, 2012, T.J. Lane, then a 17-year-old sophomore, walked up to a table in the cafeteria of Chardon High School with a .22-caliber gun and pumped 10 rounds at students he picked randomly. Three students — Demetrius Hewlin, 16; Daniel Parmertor, 16; and Russell King Jr., 17 — died. Three other students were injured, and one was left paralyzed.
Lane admitted his crime, didn’t offer a reason and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences at the Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima. He has no possibility of parole.
At his sentencing, Lane’s behavior shocked and outraged spectators. He unbuttoned his blue dress shirt to reveal a white T-shirt on which he had scrawled the word “KILLER” across the front. He had on a similar shirt during his shooting rampage.
On Sept. 11, 2014, Lane, along with two other inmates, escaped from Allen Correctional Institution. He was recaptured the following day.
Meanwhile, on Feb. 29, 1,462 days later, James Austin Hancock, 14, described as “a good kid” by classmates, allegedly shot two eighth-graders and two more were injured during a lunchroom shooting. He was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terroristic threats, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. He remains in Butler County Detention Center awaiting his next pretrial hearing scheduled for April 5 before Juvenile Judge Ronald Craft.
There were no fatalities at Madison. Still, the district is healing, Philpot said.
Ellen Ondrey, district communications coordinator at Chardon, said after she heard about the shooting, she contacted AJ Huff, her counterpart at Madison. The two met as members of the Ohio Schools Public Relations Association.
“We’re always on high alert (for school shootings),” Ondrey said. “It triggers something and brings us back to our tough day.”
Then she added: “We can identify and relate.”
Ondrey has watched as Madison responded to the shooting. She has been impressed.
“They’re doing it right,” she said.
The shooting occurred two weeks ago, and Ondrey warned that it will take years for some of the wounds to heal.
“Long process to recovery,” she said. “Lives are changed. You eventually get used to the ‘new normal.’”
She encouraged Madison officials to keep improving the environment in the district. Sometimes, she said, a more inviting atmosphere can be more effective than building enhancements.
“We’re a much better place now,” she said. “We pay attention and we don’t want any kids to slip through the cracks.”
The last two weeks only confirmed what Philpot already knew about his district.
“I’m proud as ever,” said Philpot, who has worked in the district for 14 years. “I couldn’t be prouder to call this my community. I’m a lucky guy, a lucky guy who went through a terrible situation. I knew I was lucky before. Now there is no doubt. There is a true sense of community out here.”
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