Case 11 An Unexpected Tragedy
Setting: Suburban High School; Your Position: High School Principal
This morning the tranquility of your suburban high school was shattered by an event beyond comprehension. A young, male student entered the school with a semiautomatic pistol and killed three classmates and wounded three others.
Despite your many years as principal, there has been nothing in your background that has prepared you for the magnitude of this tragedy. The police have now left, and the students returned to their homes, but the task remains of figuring out what needs to be done in order to restore a sense of normalcy to the educational process.
The problem seems enormous. The press has quickly descended on your small town and is seeking statements from you and from your academic staff. There is the inevitable process of grieving that must be managed, and there are also curriculum matters, including final examinations which were set to begin next week.
It is important to have a coordinated plan. You have summoned the department heads to a meeting in your office at 4 P.M. None of them is likely to have had any more experience than you in dealing with crises such as this. Furthermore, they are unaccustomed to working together to solve school-wide problems, preferring instead to leave them to your direction. However, you know that this event has had a unifying effect on the entire community.