The school day at Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy started off Thursday like any other.
Yellow buses filed in front of the school beneath sun-soaked blue August skies, cars dropped off red-polo-clad students and parents on foot escorted their children, hand-in-hand, into the building.
But neither Thursday nor the prior two days were like any other in the school’s history.
Students and staff fled the school Tuesday afternoon when an intruder slipped into the building armed with a semi-automatic rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The 20-year-old suspect, Michael Brandon Hill, shot at police, but no one was injured.
On Thursday, parents, students and staff returned to the building, still feeling the shooting’s impact.
“Basically, the students were needing a little reassuring,” said Vasanne Tinsley, lead crisis counselor for DeKalb County Schools.
Valynda Evans said she had to help her two children, a second-grader and a kindergartner, feel comfortable about returning to school.
“I had to reassure them that school was a safe place, and the bad man wasn’t coming back,” said Evans, herself a kindergarten teacher.
On Wednesday, only about 170 of the school’s roughly 800 students attended class, spending their day at nearby McNair High School. Students who stayed out Wednesday will be excused.
At midday Thursday, principal Brian Bolden couldn’t give a head count but said the classrooms were “packed.”
As parents escorted their children, Antoinette Tuff, the school bookkeeper who faced down the gunman, was high on their minds. During the gripping real-life drama, Tuff remained remarkably calm as she talked to the suspect standing before her in the front office. On the 24-minute 911 recording, Tuff can be heard continually reassuring Hill and displaying empathy, which kept Hill’s mood — and the situation — from exploding.
At least a half-dozen cars pulled into the school driveway Thursday carrying flowers and baskets for Tuff, parents told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“She risked her life for our kids,” said Evans, whose children carried a card and a bouquet of daffodils for the bookkeeper. “I just wanted to show my sentiment.”
Briana Bolt said she owes a debt of gratitude to Tuff’s cool head. “I really feel that had she run, things would’ve gone differently.”
Even President Barack Obama expressed appreciation. According to the White House press office, Obama called Tuff on Thursday to thank her for the courage she displayed.
McNair academy officials said Tuff will be out until Monday.
The school’s principal said Tuff, who was watching the front desk when Hill arrived, acted within the guidelines of security procedures. “When an intruder actually gains access into the building, our second tier of defense is to maintain that individual in the front office as long as humanly possible so we can go with our secondary defense plan, which is engaging our staff to let them know what is going on in that situation,” Bolden said.
Hill waived his preliminary hearing before a DeKalb County Magistrate Court judge on Wednesday and will appear in court on Sept. 5 at 9 a.m., court officials said. Until then, he remains in the DeKalb County jail without bond.
Counseling will be available at the academy through the end of the week, then staff will evaluate whether more is needed, school officials said.
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