Superintendent Guthrie: Perry Hall HS Shooting 'Transcends any Comprehension'

The first day back for overall was a good one, according to Superintendent Stephen Guthrie. But lots of minds were on the where a 15-year-old student shot a 17-year-old student in the back.

The victim was in critical condition at University of Maryland Shock Trauma and the shooter was taken into custody after a school counselor intervened.

"Our sympathy goes out to the students and staff at Perry Hall and of course the victim and family," Guthrie said. "This is a tragic event that tears at your heart and transcends any comprehension."

Guthrie said that the Carroll County school system is constantly training and preparing so that it can prevent, or react to, something similiar happening here.

"While we cannot control everything that happens in schools, our citizens should be aware that each year staff receives training from experts in this field on how to prevent and react to similar situations," Guthrie said.  "We have partnered with local counseling agencies to conduct violence assessments on students who commit or threaten to commit violent acts in our school." 

Guthrie said the policies and procedures are reviewed regularly. He also said that it's important for students and parents to alert the school system if they fear a student might behave violently.

"We constantly review these policies to ensure, as much as possible, that we can prevent such an occurance from happening in our school system," Guthrie said. "We also have to rely on parents and students to inform us if they suspect violent behavior may occur in our schools."

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