Shootings at Granite Hills High School : Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige

US Education Department Press Releases

In times of crisis like this one, we must think first of the families and the communities affected by violence. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the members of the Granite Hills High School community, and to the San Diego community as a whole. This is the second senseless incident of violence to affect the area in a very few weeks.

The Department of Education stands ready to return counselors and advisors to the Grossmont High School District, and we will do more to assist the students, teachers, administrators and families of this district. We will work with other federal agencies and with local law enforcement and community agencies to deliver services to the Granite Hills High School community and the Grossmont High School District.

On behalf of the El Cajon and Santee communities, I would like to go a step further to ask that members of the media and the public at large make a concerted effort to allow this community time to address this crisis and to heal. Representatives of the Department of Education have only just returned from the San Diego area, where they were assisting the Grossmont High School District with crisis response and planning. We know from that incident the importance of allowing school administrators, teachers, students and local law enforcement agencies to focus on helping those in need.

As a nation, we should be saddened and concerned when violence involves young people and takes place in our schools. The Department of Education will continue to work with local school districts and with the states to prevent violence in our schools, but at this juncture, we must foremost consider how we might assist this school district with addressing the needs of the Granite Hills High School community.