BRADDOCK, Pa. — Inside Woodland Hills High School, emotions fill the halls.
“Even if they never had the student, they experience that secondary trauma. They are in the line of fire with our students and have to push back in that moment and educate our students,” said Dr. Pamela White with Woodland Hills School District.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >> 2 high school students killed, 1 juvenile critically injured in Braddock shooting
Monday was the first time this school district put its crisis response plan into place. Born out of a shooting impacting two students last year, the deaths of 17-year-olds Nazir Parker and Rimel Williamson put it all into play.
“Our social workers are a big piece of it, our counselors are a big piece of it. They work with students and write cards to the family; they journal no matter what they need,” Dr. White said.
That includes allowing students to fill the resiliency room for trauma support, but the school is just one piece.
“It starts with interruption for us and then it moves to healing, educational support, workforce development support, financial support into advocacy,” said Cathy Welsh.
It is a wheel of violence prevention that groups in these communities have put into action. Welsh, who lost her son in 2017, tells Channel 11 it’s working, and the latest losses do not set them back as every day, they work to prevent retaliation.
“It’s really easy to look away from violence. I think that’s what a lot of people choose to do because then if they look away, they aren’t responsible for it. We look at it head on,” Welsh said.
In order to keep it moving, each piece can’t work without the other.
“You can’t educate a child without having the school, the family and the community. Our families are hurting, and I think it’s up to us as a school to help support our families and let them know we do care about you and your child is not just a number in our building,” White said.
At this point, county police have not given any information about a potential shooter or arrest on this double murder.
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