PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Mental health professionals are helping students and staff at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School process a storm of fears and emotions after a barrage of gunfire injured eight students who were about to board a SEPTA bus.
Just before 3 p.m. on Wednesday, three gunmen opened fire on a group of students at a bus stop on Cottman Avenue. Eight teens were struck, ranging in age from 15 to 17 years old. One 16-year-old boy was critically shot nine times in the torso. Police recovered the getaway car used in the shooting but they are still looking for the shooters and driver.
Classes at the school are virtual again on Friday in the wake of Wednesday’s mass shooting. Dr. Jayme Banks, Philadelphia School District deputy chief of prevention, intervention and trauma, said counselors have been available in person at the high school and online to talk students through their feelings.
“Any student that has come to the school, they’ve been asked right away if they need counseling support right then and there, or if they want to access it in the virtual space,” she said on Thursday.
Even if a student at Northeast High didn’t know any of the victims from Wednesday’s shooting, the student may be concerned for their own safety or worried about classmates. Extra counselors have been available at neighboring schools as well, including Fels and George Washington high schools.
“We often deploy counselors from neighboring schools to support, as well as other mental health professionals that we have in different positions,” Banks added. The professional help lasts for more than one or two days. “This is a continual assessment of what is needed, and providing the support for students and staff.
“We’re always looking at the students and trying to figure out how best to support them, and how best to give coping skills as well as tools and resources so that we can get more and more on the prevention side of things, versus just the aftermath of these events.”