by Rebecca Gaunt
Lola Adesanya and her son were supposed to celebrate his 16th birthday after school on Feb. 1. Instead, she spent the night in a desperate search with no idea where he was.
[To protect his privacy, the student is referred to as A.S.]
Earlier that day, a fight broke out in the McEachern High School parking lot, and two people were shot and injured. Adesanya received a text from A.S. telling her he was scared.
She believes a failure in communication between the school and district is the reason her son didn’t make it home that day until nearly 1 a.m.
A recent statement given by district spokesperson Nan Kiel didn’t sit well with Adesanya.
Kiel told the Marietta Daily Journal last week, “Despite the narrative of others, we know this for sure: Principal Montgomery, McEachern staff, and all public safety staff involved in responding to the shooting, kept McEachern students as safe as possible. At the request of the Board Chair, District staff and public safety personnel continue to review all options, to keep all students, as safe as possible.”
Adesanya told the Courier, “It was heartbreaking to see them try to cover up my son’s story given we are still processing what happened in the aftermath.”
She used to be a teacher in the district, which has made it more upsetting for her that no one from the central office has reached out.
“I’m very disappointed because I do know that they know about it. Not that it should matter, but I feel that given I was once part of the team and so-called family, I would have expected a phone call. And I feel more like they just want to be quiet about my part. They can’t do anything about the school shooting because that’s what’s in the news, and they want to package it to make sure that everybody feels better about how things have been taken care of,” she said.
Time missing
Adesanya’s son has ADHD, anxiety, and difficulty with executive functioning skills….
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