JCPS superintendent gets emotional, parents react to student killed in bus stop shooting
There were many calls for action and answers from school officials after a Jefferson County Public Schools student died Wednesday after gunfire went off at a bus stop in west Louisville.
"It is one of the most difficult mornings I think of my career," JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said.
Pollio was emotional as he spoke about the gun violence that has claimed the life of another JCPS student. This time a 16-year-old boy who attended Eastern High School.
"I (have) been doing this for 25 years and unfortunately I had to go through a lot of student deaths. This may be the most challenging of them all," he said.
Background: 1 JCPS student killed, 2 injured in drive-by shooting at west Louisville bus stop
As many parents did Wednesday morning, Pollio found out about the shooting just moments after seeing his own daughter off to school.
"About five minutes after I walked out the front door today to go to school is when I got word that this has happened. As you can imagine, how devastating that is as a superintendent knowing one of the students in your community has died, especially being shot at a bus station, excuse me, a bus stop, in a drive-by shooting is just devastating," Pollio said.
He admits violence impacting our youth is happening way too often.
"As a father where your child is walking out the door, it makes you want to hug your child a little closer and know my daughter and the students of JCPS mean so much to me," he said.
Grief counselors were sent to Eastern High School Wednesday, along with nearby Crosby Middle School to help students cope with this loss. We talked with parents who stopped by to pick up their kids after school and they say violence like this has got to stop.
"It’s pretty scary. You got to think, you take your kid to the bus stop and drop them off and think they are going to be just fine, and then something like this happens," parent Todd Ramsey said.
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Ramsey’s daughter attends Eastern High School. He said it seems like every day you hear something that makes parents like him concerned.
"Something needs to be done, something needs to happen with all the shootings and carjackings that are going on in Louisville. My daughter is about to start driving that is even scarier," he said.
Another parent agreed parents need to pay more attention.
"I think parents need to pay more attention for one thing you should know where your child is and I just can't imagine that you would have a child living with you with a gun on their possession and you wouldn't know about it," parent Sonny Oliver said.
Both parents say these crimes are making headlines too often and it's going to take parents, teachers, police and other community members to fix a major problem plaguing our community.