BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Public Schools on Thursday hosted a public town hall with Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash for parents and the community to address concerns following the violence at McKinley High School last week.
"I wanted to take more time to listen and to adjust our plans, to adjust our work, and to hear from our community," Dr. Cash said.
Eight days after a security guard was shot and a 14-year-old student was stabbed, parents and students gathered at West Hertel Academy to talk about it.
On the stage in the auditorium, there were five BPS high school students who gave their perspective about what's been going on. One of the students on the panel was a junior at McKinley.
"Will we be able to get over this? No. Because we will remember this day like yesterday for anybody. It was a traumatic experience. Friends, family, even schools had a tough time with this," they said.
One parent addressed Dr. Cash and asked, "How are we going to keep our children safe in school? How are we going to fix what's broken?"
In response, Dr. Cash spoke about many things included in the school's reopening plan, such as two more security guards, more teacher aides, more supervision, and better communication. He also spoke about McKinley's new principle Moustafa Khalil.
The Board of Education on Wednesday decided that in-person instruction for McKinley High students will resume on Monday, Feb. 28 for seniors, Tuesday, March 1 for juniors, and Wednesday, March 2 for sophomores and freshmen.
Also, the Buffalo Teachers Federation issued a vote of no-confidence for Cash on Thursday night.