RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Public Schools students and families began returning to their school buildings Thursday to collect their belongings a day after the decision by the school division to cancel the remaining days of classes and all end-of-year activities other than rescheduled graduations.
Among them was Linda Cheatham who brought her niece to Huguenot High School two days after attending that school's graduation ceremony at the Altria Theater that ended in gun violence in Monroe Park, leaving a stepson and stepfather dead and many more injured.
"It started off great. We were very excited about the graduation," said Cheatham, who added she was still inside with her mother when the shooting happened. "And then all of a sudden, it just -- all hell broke loose."
Cheatham said they came back to the high school on Thursday in order for her niece to pick up her diploma and to see if her niece's graduation cap had been recovered. She had lost in the chaos of Tuesday and it was special to her, because it was decorated in honor of her niece's god-sister who was lost to gun violence several years ago.
"They found it and it was here…So, we were really excited about that," she said.
As for the school's decision to close for the last few days of the year, Cheatham said she understands it, but is disappointed.
"I have another niece, who was supposed to have and has been looking forward to a Little Sneaker Ball over at Mosby…and that's a moving on ceremony which we would all been at as well," added Cheatham. "The end of the school year is a great thing and for young kids to get to say goodbye to their friends and your teachers…While I understand the concern, the superintendent was there, he was clearly very, very emotional and upset about what it happened. But, I think they -- I disagree with their decision."
Similar sentiments from Boz Boschen, a father of three children at Fox Elementary school, including a fifth-grade son who went to school Thursday to receive his diploma rather than the moving on ceremony that was scheduled.
"He's the treasurer for the student government and has been on honor roll and was really looking forward to being on stage today and cracking some jokes with some friends as part of their moving on celebration," said Boschen. "I'm feeling a little disappointed that we had to make a district-wide decision."
Boschen said he sympathizes with what happened on Tuesday, but added children need to have a sense of normalcy.
"At the end of the year, having some closure is really important. Whether that's just a hug with a favorite teacher or a last couple of minutes on the playground with their best friends. They had class parties and then moving on celebrations and all that. Just to see all that kind of cut short so suddenly, I know it's hard for them," added Boschen. "Especially for the kids at Fox, I mean, they've been through so much -- they've moved locations, twice, they've done a virtual school year through the pandemic, they had a school fire. Everything that they've been through, you know, we're trying to do what we can with an off-site celebration today and the class party for the fifth graders, but that's only fifth grade."
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"Many parents believe that the safest and most healing place for the students to be this week would have been at their schools. Hugging their teachers, performing their talent shows, signing their yearbooks, saying goodbye. This week of all weeks - The joy and togetherness of these final celebrations is part of the bond that makes the community stronger. We are compounding the damage by removing these events," said Mary Munford parent Andrew Breton, who organized a march Wednesday at the State Capitol calling for more laws to address gun violence. "We've seen this year how much stronger the community is when we are allowed to be together. The city is going to face more challenging moments in the future and I hope we'll prioritize figuring out how to keep the community together in the school buildings where kids belong and where they thrive. Parents only know what we know - we saw these tragic events on the news and they are traumatizing. but if there is a reason that so many of the 40 school buildings in the city were not safe to be in this week, that information should be more clearly shared with families."
In his RPS Direct email announcing his decision, Superintendent Jason Kamras addressed the decision.
"I recognize this will be very upsetting to many students, families, and staff. However, given how on edge our community is right now, and given that three more RPS students were shot last night, I felt this step was necessary to safeguard the RPS family. Thank you for your grace and understanding," wrote Kamras.
"We wanted to be sensitive to the needs of families and in that, I recognize, that other families felt slighted," 9th District School Board Member Nicole Jones said. "But, we were just trying to do the best that we could do to support everyone…It wasn't an either or decision. It was kind of like, this is what we need to do collectively in trying to help, again, because this is really about a community that needs to heal and a community that needs time and space."
Kamras addressed the decision further in his Thursday RPS Direct email.
"I also want to acknowledge the handful of families who have reached out to me to share their frustration with my decision to close school today and tomorrow. I know some of our fifth grade and eighth grade families, in particular, are disappointed given the cancellation of moving on ceremonies. I've experienced this firsthand, as my action canceled my own son's Henderson graduation," wrote Kamras. "I made this decision for two reasons. First, our teachers and staff – across the division – are emotionally depleted. For many, this latest tragedy was deeply re-traumatizizing [sic], as they have had to deal with countless other shootings and deaths in their careers. In short, many in the RPS family are barely holding on. Second, when shootings like this happen, I always fear retaliation and copycat activity – particularly with an incident as public as this."
"I hate closing school. But I have promised to always treat our 22,000 students as if they were my own flesh and blood. And I could no less bear the thought of my own two sons suffering Shawn's fate, as I could anyone else's. Again, thank you for your grace."
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Prayer Gatherings and Vigils
Meanwhile, as the school community continues to adjust to the abrupt end to the school year, the wider city community continues to hold events to show support for those impacted by what happened with two events scheduled at Monroe Park Thursday evening.
The first is at 6:30 p.m. and is being hosted by The Chapel, which has locations in Scott's Addition and Chesterfield County. David and Morgan Bogert both serve in roles at the church and live about a quarter mile from where the shooting happened.
"Our hearts break for the families and those who were impacted by such evil and just -- it's indescribable. And so, it was just something that we felt like the only response with such difficulty is really to step into the power of prayer," said David.
"It's crazy. Because, you hear about stuff like this happening, sadly, everyday all over the country. But, your own city, it just hits you in a different way," added Morgan.
David said the event was a worship and prayer gathering for people of all beliefs.
"Just anyone who really is hurting or are brokenhearted through these situations. We just encourage you tto come on out. Our prayer is just that this would be a unifying event in a time when there's so much pain and sorrow each of us feel," said David. "We all love Richmond and so, we want this to be a place that just comes together and surrounds and prays for those who are hurting."
Then, at 7 p.m., Grace & Holy Trinity Church, which is right next to where the shooting happened, would host a prayer vigil in the church. It would be followed by a candlelight procession into the park itself.
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