Tallapoosa County superintendent reacts to deadly party shooting

NOW, FOLKS HERE HAVE REALLY, REALLY COME TOGETHER TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER. AND THAT WAS EVIDENT AS STUDENTS RETURN TO SCHOOL TODAY. WVTM 13 CHIP SCARBOROUGH TALKED TO THE SUPERINTEND ABOUT WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BRING KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY. CHIP. TALLAPOOSA COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT RAYMOND PORTER SAYS HE WANTED STUDENTS TO HAVE A NORMAL ROUTINE ON MONDAY AND A PLACE HE SAYS THEY FEEL SAFE. THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS IN MOURNING TODAY AND THE FLAGS ARE FLYING AT HALF STAFF HERE AT THE TALLAPOOSA COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, JUST AS THEY ARE IN MANY PLACES IN THIS COMMUNITY. THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS HE WAS ABSOLUTELY AT A LOSS FOR WORDS WHEN HE GOT WORD THAT FOUR STUDENTS FROM DADEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL WERE KILLED DURING THE BIRTHDAY PARTY SHOOTING SATURDAY NIGHT. OTHER STUDENTS WERE INJURED, INCLUDING SOME AT NEARBY REAL TOWN HIGH SCHOOL. THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS HE VISITED THE SCHOOLS TODAY TO TRY AND BE A CALMING FORCE AS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS GRIEVE. WE’RE PROVIDING COUNSELORS, WE’RE PROVIDING CLERGY. WE HAVE MADE IT SEARCH THAT TEACHERS, IF THEY NEED TO STEP AWAY FROM THE ROOMS TO TALK WITH INDIVIDUALS, TEACHERS. WE HAVE SUBS IN PLACE FOR THAT. SO WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE. TRIED TO PUT STUDENT FIRST IN EVERYTHING THAT WE’RE DOING. AND THE SUPERINTENDENT ALSO SAYS THERE WERE STUDENTS FROM NEIGHBORING SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT WERE INJURED IN THAT SHOOTING SATURDAY NIGHT AS WELL. WHILE THE IMPACTS ARE FAR REACHING, THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS HE DOESN’T WANT THIS SMALL COMMUNITY TO BE REMEMBERED FOR THIS ONE NIGHT. AND DAY, THOUGH, ALABAMA AND TALLAPOO