2 St. Louis schools will remain closed 1 week after a teacher and student died in shooting that killed 5 pupils and a teacher on campus, officials said.
A third of the city’s 600 schools are closed Tuesday, down from a week ago. Several districts have made public statement on Monday saying that the schools would remain closed for the remainder of the semester as long as they have an active shooter on campus. Those schools were St. Louis University, St. Louis Community College, St. Louis City College and the University of St. Louis. The high schools — Central High School and Ferguson High School — will be closed for the next two days. Officials announced they would remain closed Tuesday even if the shooter has left campus since the school day was supposed to begin Wednesday morning.
“The safety and welfare of the students, faculty, and staff of our schools continues to be our top priority,” the St. Louis Board of Education said in a statement Monday.
“As the situation continues to unfold, the Board is committed to maintaining the safety of our schools and students. School is not canceled – our focus remains on the safety of our pupils, teachers, parents and staff. Students will be held in place for an extra day as our safety team continues to review the facts. We are in contact with the FBI, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and other local agencies to ensure our students are kept safe. We are deeply saddened by this tragic event and our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims.”
Police said the man was armed with a handgun Monday afternoon. Police described the suspect as a white male, 27, with blonde hair and standing over 6 feet tall. He was wearing jeans, a hooded sweatshirt and a white toque-style hat. Officers said he was last seen on the second floor of the high school. School officials have said they would let students return to classes Tuesday, but it was unclear when that would occur.
City schools and the University of Missouri- St. Louis will be closed