STOCKTON — Parents and students across Stockton are grieving the loss of one of their own.
“You think that the real danger is, like, being hit by a car. It’s random stuff like that,” parent Ramon Hayes shared. “I really stay out the way anyways, and now you have got to be more cautious. You never know.”
Many are concerned about their children in the wake of Saturday’s mass shooting that claimed the lives of a 14-year-old, a 9-year-old and an 8-year-old who attended Stockton Unified School District.
“They’re not going to want to go to any parties anymore,” Parent Graciela Leva said. “It’s very sad as it is, and then during this time, it’s even more worse for the parents and their brothers and sisters.”
As a result, SUSD is all hands on deck in making sure students, parents, and staff have the emotional support they need.
“People have been asking me, ‘Well, how do we get those services? A child can self-refer, they can ask and just go up to their counselor and ask for help. They can ask the teacher, a teacher can refer, and a parent can do that,” Stockton Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez explained.
All 55 schools within the district have counselors on site, providing resources that are needed now more than ever.
That also includes special care for one of the district’s own employees, the mother of that 8-year-old victim.
“We are providing in-home mental health support for her and her family,” Superintendent Rodriguez shared. “She is a strong, wonderful mother, and so, of course, that a loss of a child is so horrible. She is caring for her additional children, being strong for them, and at the same time, she should allow herself to feel as well.”
The superintendent said the support will be very much present for as long as the community needs.
“We know that the grief process is, and trauma hits people differently at different times,” Superintendent Rodriguez said. “It’s a day, or it’s next week or even next month, we are committed to being present and being connected and making sure that the resources get to the people that need to be there.”
SUSD has asked CBS Sacramento not to identify the name of the school where the victim attended until the family decides whether or not to share their child’s name to the public.
The district and entire city of Stockton have access to Care Solace, a 24/7 crisis support during this time.
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