TECUMSEH, Mich. — Tecumseh High School is about 90 miles south of Oxford High School, where a gunman opened fire Tuesday, killing four students.
"It's sad that this continues to come up almost on a yearly basis. This one cuts pretty close," Tecumseh Public Schools Superintendent Rick Hilderly said.
Hilderley said he's spent the past couple of days connecting with his students, making sure they're OK, as well as checking in with staff, encouraging them to refocus when it comes to school safety.
"Practice evacuation drills, shelter in place, the A.L.I.C.E. protocol; we also just renewed our agreement with the city, a school resource officer who's present in our high school," Hilderly said.
He said local law enforcement also trains inside schools, to learn building layouts.
When it comes to students, Hilderly said they're taught to look out for red flags in behavior.
"(We're) trying to keep a tab on what's going on on social media. Michigan State Police has the "Ok To Say" app that allows kids to make reports of things that concern them," Hilderley said.
Students are also taught, he said, to be kind to one another and to include peers who appear to be isolated.
Hilderley noted that while it's tragic lives were lost in Oxford, he believes an investigation will find a lot of things went right in the response, and his district will pick them up.