4/28/2022 Message from the Superintendent – Incident at Long Reach High School

April 28th, 2022

The following statement was issued by HCPSS Superintendent Dr. Michael Martirano on April 28, 2022:

Today, there was an altercation between two students at Long Reach High School that resulted in a student being severely injured. The school immediately went into lockdown to keep students and staff safe, police and other first responders were notified and quickly arrived on scene, and an immediate police investigation ensued.

My immediate, and continued, concern remains on the injured student, his family, and the students and staff at Long Reach High School who are suffering from fear and trauma resulting from this incident.

As soon as the injured student was transported from Long Reach to receive medical treatment, the school began communicating with families to provide updates as they became available. Crisis Intervention staff quickly arrived at Long Reach to support students and staff who were in the building during the lockdown.

This terrible event is extremely concerning, and I know that parents, guardians and families were extremely troubled as they received updates from the school and messages from their children. To ensure everyone in the building remains safe during a lockdown, people are not able to enter or exit the school other than those actively investigating the incident. Of course, this can be extremely difficult for families who want to be sure their child is safe. I appreciate the cooperation and understanding of all Long Reach families as the event unfolded and we were receiving and relaying information.

I appreciate the diligent efforts of our Fire and Rescue and Police first responders for their quick response and guidance to school staff throughout the incident response. I commend the School Resource Officer and Long Reach staff who quickly reacted to tend to the injured student and ensure the safety of all students and staff. Police also maintained an increased presence during dismissal. I also commend all of the school staff who kept our students calm and reassured during the day.

Looking ahead, our focus remains on tending to the needs and wellbeing of our students and staff. Support staff, including those from the crisis intervention team, will continue to be present and available to support those who need to speak with somebody.

It is important for all parents and guardians to be subscribed to receive emails and texts from their child’s school because that is our primary form of communication during an emergency. Information is available online, or for assistance contact your child’s school.

Again, I thank everybody who has responded to this event and will continue to tend to the needs of our students and staff.