Most students in a Georgia district return to class nearly a week after a school shooting

WINDER, Ga. -- Many students in Georgia's Barrow County headed back to class Tuesday, six days after a shooting killed two teachers and two students at the school district's Apalachee High School northeast of Atlanta.

No return date has been set for the 1,900 students at that high school, but the 13,000 students in Barrow County's other schools did return, including at the middle school and elementary school that border the Apalachee campus in Winder.

When her 8-year-old daughter said over the weekend that she was scared to go back to school, Shonderi Williams broke down in her bathroom. She has two daughters Yargo Elementary School and one daughter at Haymon-Morris Middle School, the schools next door. She said she tried to put on a “hero face.”

“I’m trying to teach them, I’m here for you. I’m your protector. There’s nobody that’s going to hurt you, ” Williams told The Associated Press while she waited to pick up her two daughters who attend Yargo. “I can’t be around them 24/7, so I know that’s a lie that I told my child. But I have to go and be that strong parent for them.”

Williams had a son who died in 2003 at age 2, and said she was hesitant to send her kids back.

“My kids are still in danger,” Williams said. “It’s a mind-boggling situation that we all have to get through.”

Jaime Love said she was overwhelmed with relief when her daughter, who also attends Yargo, jumped into the car after school.

“I honestly could cry,” she said. “I’m really excited.”

Throughout the day, Love wondered if she would get a phone call from her daughter’s teacher, asking to pick her up. Her daughter struggled with nightmares over the weekend. But she seemed to feel better when Love and her husband explained that the police were there for safety, not because something was wrong.

“We spent a lot of time trying to just make her feel safe and understand that school can go back to being a happy, fun, and educational place,” Love said.

Superintendent Dallas LeDuff said sheriff’s deputies and state troopers would provide extra security when schools reopened, with counseling available at all campuses.

“We know the days ahead are going to be difficult, and that we have some staff and some students who are not ready to return to school,” LeDuff said. “We also believe as a school system that it is our responsibility to provide a safe space for those who are.”

Ashley Sanders has children at Yargo and Haymon-Morris, and next year her oldest daughter will attend Apalachee.

“Having police presence is a little comforting, but what is going to happen after they’re gone?” Sanders said. “What is going to be put in place to keep our kids safe after what happened Wednesday?”

Sanders felt relieved Tuesday after texting her daughter to say she loved her and receiving a response.

“It’s scary as a parent, having your kids here,” Sanders said.

Relatives and friends are mourning the victims, including teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. A memorial service was held Sunday for Aspinwall, while a Romanian Orthodox Church congregation honored Irimie. Her funeral is set for Saturday.

Colt Gray, 14, is charged as an adult with four counts of murder, and District Attorney Brad Smith has said more charges are likely to be filed against him in connection with the wounded. Authorities have also charged his 54-year-old father, Colin Gray with second degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children. Investigators allege Colin Gray gave his son access to the gun when he knew or should have known that the teen was a danger to himself and others.

Another teacher and eight more students were wounded, with seven of those hit by gunfire. More of them are going home from hospitals. Doug Griffith said his 15-year-old daughter, Natalie Griffith, was released from a hospital on Monday after being treated for gunshot wounds to her arm and wrist.

Natalie Griffith is a freshman and a flute player in the band. She was shot in her algebra class.

“She’s got an A in algebra, and she’s extremely proud of that,” Doug Griffith said.

Griffith is one of a number of relatives seeking to raise donations through GoFundMe. He said he wants to make sure his daughter has help, as well as to support other victims.

Robert Runcie, the former superintendent of Broward County Public Schools in Florida, said Tuesday that people in Barrow County should “give each other a lot of grace, love and support” as students return. Runcie was the superintendent when a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.

“Make the space and time for doing it, and recognize that you’re not going to have a normal school day, whatever that normal looks like,” he told the AP in an interview. “The recovery process is going to take years, much longer than folks imagine,” he said.

Amila Dawson said her son has been quieter than usual since the shooting. At one of the vigils, he broke down in tears, asking why people had to die and why a shooter got into the school.

“I’m ready to get him,” Dawson said as she waited in Haymon-Morris’ carpool line. “I’m ready to hear about his day. I’m praying all good things.”

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Jaime Love's first name.

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Amy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Jeff Martin contributed from Atlanta.