Reacting to a shooting last fall at SuccessTech Academy, the Cleveland district is beefing up its security and crisis response. Some schools were to receive the first of 126 metal detectors during the holiday break. Previously, portable detectors were used for random searches or when there were signs of trouble. Metal detectors in all schools, additional security, and more nurses, social workers and psychologists to deal with the emotional needs of students will cost $7.5 million. A 14-year-old student wounded two teachers and two students at the school in October before shooting himself to death.
To read The Cleveland Plain Dealer article, click here
FROM OCTOBER 2007: A 14-year-old high school freshman in Cleveland shot himself to death Wednesday after opening fire at Success Tech Academy and wounding two students and two teachers. Another student was injured when she was trampled by students running from the gunfire. The shooter, Asa Coon, had been suspended from the school earlier this week, officials say. Classes at all Cleveland public schools for Thursday have been cancelled. Click here to read The Cleveland Plain Dealer article.
SIDEBAR: Asa Coon could be loud sometimes, and his appearance cried for attention: his shock of wavy brown hair, his fingernails painted black, the dog collar around his neck, his faded rock concert T-shirts under a trench coat. But there was another Asa Coon far more menacing than the loopy kid with the unkempt hair and faux Gothic look. This was the Asa who always seemed to be in fights at school. This was the Asa who slapped around his mother. This was the Asa who talked about suicide. Click here to read The Cleveland Plain Dealer article.
ALSO: Wednesday's shooting spree at SuccessTech Academy was the bloody climax to a week's worth of gun-toting incidents across the Cleveland school district. Click here to read The Cleveland Plain Dealer article.
