Sad, Low Key First Day Back at School

It was a low key day that greeted students back to school Monday following the Boston Marathon bombing and subsequent manhunt that took place over April vacation.

"There is a certain sadness that everyone feels," said Interim Superintendent Steven Dlott. “There was one student who was at the scene who spoke about it and we moved on."

That student who had been at the scene of the bombing was in elementary school, he said. No other students said they had been directly affected by the bombing, said Dlott.

“We tried to keep this day normal. We didn’t want to draw any more attention to it and raise anxieties," he said. “We had support people standing by but they did not have to be utilized."

A plan had been established for all teachers in the district with counselors standing by to respond if needed. The goal was to engage with students if they needed to speak, but then move on, said Dlott.

"Make everybody feel comfortable make everyone feel safe and move on,” he said. “We knew monday would be a key day."

The school will continue to offer its usual support services to students, said Dlott.