NewsOlathe East Shooting

Actions

Community members share sentiments of support in wake of Olathe East High School shooting

OlatheEastVideo.jpeg
Posted at 7:54 PM, Mar 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-09 16:59:12-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In the hours following a shooting at Olathe East High School, the community is reacting and offering support.

For students feeling distressed or just looking for someone to talk to, the Johnson County Mental Health Center posted its crisis line — 913-268-0156.

Olathe Public Schools Superintendent Brent Yeager released a video Friday night about available school resources to take care of one another in the “Olathe family.”

Despite district rivalries, other schools tweeted in solidarity with East. Olathe South even decided to change the dress-up theme of their basketball game to an orange-out to show their #OlatheStrong support.

Over-the-weekend activities for the Olathe East soccer team have been canceled to allow players time to decompress.

At the collegiate level, the University of Kansas Provost Office tweeted resources available to students, recognizing the local ties many students have to Olathe East.

One popular sentiment shared by politicians, including Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, was offering “thoughts” to those affected. But many responses ask for action instead.

Social posts were penned offering hope all three who were injured, including the suspect, fully recover. Similar posts thanked the efforts of law enforcement officers for stopping what could have been an incident that injured many more individuals.

Other social media users tweeted sentiments of empathy toward educators, sadness for the trauma students endured and anger toward violence.

But mostly, users shared they were grateful to embrace loved ones after a difficult day for Olathe.