BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — A parent of one of the students who died in the mass shooting at Apalachee High School on Sept. 4, 2024, spoke in front of Barrow County’s Board of Education Tuesday night.
Breanna Schermerhorn broke her silence on county commissioners’ decision to shift the cost of school resource officers to the school system.
“As a grieving parent, the board of commissioners’ decision feels utterly disrespectful and tone deaf,” said Schermerhorn.
Her son, Mason Schermerhorn, 14, died when deputies say a classmate opened fire inside the school last Fall. Christian Angulo also died as well as two teachers: Cristina Irimie and Coach Ricky Aspinwall.
“Let me ask you, do we treat fire trucks this way? Do we tell this board of education to foot the bill when a fire breaks out in a school?” asked Schermerhorn.
County commissioners blamed the decision on a senior tax exemption and argued that the school district can afford it. Last month, the Board of Education voted to add it to the budget and keep working toward recovery.
The person in charge of coordinating that recovery for Apalachee High School, Kelcie Zimmer, spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, too.
“One of the most asked-about topics, typically, is J-Hall,” said Zimmer.
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J-Hall is the hallway where the shooting happened. She said J-Hall will remain closed this school year. However, the district sent student surveys at the start of this school year and plans to hold group and individual discussions on options like memorializing and re-opening or tearing down and rebuilding.
“It is super important to us that it be done in a meaningful way and not in a rushed way,” said Zimmer.
She gave the board an overview of the things she has done since taking her position this year. In April and May, she said community events brought people together and helped students celebrate the end of the school year. In the summer, students and staff connected in the building. They ended the Summer with a fundraiser. She said the school has added a student wellness room.
“They can go and cool down if they are having a rough morning,” said Zimmer. “There are different things going on there that make it a space where students can go calm down if they need a second.”
She said two full-time student therapists began working. One started in March. The other started in July. They work in individual and group therapy sessions. They also take drop-in appointments during school hours. There are three therapy dogs on campus. She said national leaders and other school shooting survivors have come in to help staff navigate the trauma.
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In the future, the school will have a resiliency center where partnering agencies can operate a hub for mental health and other family resources. She said a RISE Program is coming in the future to help adult staff cope.
She is working with the City of Winder to plan a vigil to honor those killed and hurt during the shooting on the one-year mark next month.
Input is something Breanna Schermerhorn praised the district for during her speech.
“They have continued to allow open dialogue about the future safety of our students and teachers. Unlike the board of commissioners,” said Schermerhorn.
She walked away from the podium to applause from the crowd, and families of others killed in the shooting embraced her with support.
Channel 2 reached out to the county spokesperson, Brian Stewart, to find out if the speech could change the decision to shift the cost of school resource officers.
He said this school year and next are set in stone. It would take a new contract proposal to change that for the 2027-2028 school year.
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