Ironton Public School administrators and school board members took the proper steps today to protect lives at the high school and the junior high school.

Wednesday, April 04, 2001

Ironton Public School administrators and school board members took the proper steps today to protect lives at the high school and the junior high school.

Bringing police officers into the schools after they learned of a "hit list" with the names of 10 students on it was the only safe thing to do. We admire those involved in the decision for acting decisively. They put the safety of our junior- and high-school students above potential charges of overreacting that may be leveled against them.

We hope the "hit list" was a prank perpetrated by an immature mind, but we have to remember that school officials in California and elsewhere ignored warnings of this kind. The results, as we know, were tragic.

We hope parents will remain calm and recognize that Ironton school officials reacted properly and promptly to thwart this potential threat. Keeping a police presence in the schools until the author of the list is identified will calm fears, too.

We also hope that the student who created the "hit list" will be identified so that he/she can receive the counseling and mental-health treatment that the person needs.

Thanks to today’s courageous actions by school and police officials, Ironton may have been spared the heartache of dealing with a shooting tragedy at its high and junior-high schools.