Students returned to South Education Center on Friday, days after a shooting outside the alternative school in Richfield left one pupil dead and another seriously injured. The building closed for two days following Tuesday's incident.
Cars and school buses trickled into the parking lot as school staff greeted students — many of them with hugs — before ushering them in the building.
Just outside the building sat a makeshift memorial for 15-year-old Jahmari Rice, who transferred to the school from Richfield High two days before he was fatally shot in a dispute between students. The sidewalk was adorned with cards, photographs and a heart-shaped balloon.
Attendance was optional Friday. Superintendent Sandra Lewandowski said earlier in the week that she wanted parents to do what was best for their families. For some children, she said, that might mean a return to a regular routine.
The school did away with school resources officers and metal detectors in recent years, instead employing student safety coaches who are tasked with building relationships with students.
On Friday, students were screened with handheld metal detectors before entering the building, Principal Deb Carlson-Doom wrote in a note to families. School officials will do so until at least Feb. 18.
"We will re-evaluate and determine if we will continue the practice at that time," she wrote.
School leaders are reevaluating their safety protocols, Carlson-Doom added, and a Richfield officer will be stationed on campus for the next two weeks.
