Breanna Schermerhorn, the mother of 14-year-old Mason Alexander Schermerhorn—one of the four killed—spoke publicly for the first time since the tragedy.
WINDER, Ga. — As students returned to Apalachee High School for a new school year, a district survey asking families what should be done with the hallway where four people were killed in a school shooting last September has stirred outrage and reopened fresh wounds in the Barrow County community.
The survey, sent out on the first day of school, asked for feedback on the future of “J-Hall,” the site of the tragic Sept. 4, 2024, school shooting. Families and students said the timing was insensitive and poorly thought out.
“It was very sudden and abrupt—and kind of disrespectful,” said one student, who added they hadn’t even received the survey. Another student described it as “a little surprising.”
Layla Contreras, an Apalachee High School alumna and lead organizer of Change for Chee, said the survey’s release caught many off guard.
“I’m not sure who approved of this, but I think it was very distasteful for it to be sent out the same day school started,” Contreras said. “It’s been a long 11 months, and we don’t know how everyone will react when we hit the one-year mark.”
The school board addressed the community Tuesday night but made no specific comment about the survey. Officials only stated they are still in the early stages of deciding how best to honor the victims.
“It is super important to us that it be done in a meaningful way and not in a rushed way,” a Kelcie Zimmer, Apalachee High School’s Recovery Coordinator said. “At this time, J-Hall will remain closed for the entirety of this school year as conversations continue.”
Breanna Schermerhorn, the mother of 14-year-old Mason Alexander Schermerhorn—one of the four killed—spoke publicly for the first time since the tragedy.
“My Macie Mace was a 14-year-old boy who was killed in the Apalachee school shooting,” Schermerhorn told the board. “It was school resource officers who ended the threat. They acted because their duty requires them to protect, to intervene, and never freeze when our children are in danger.”
She expressed anger at a recent decision by the Barrow County Board of Commissioners, who proposed shifting the cost of school resource officers to the school district.
“As a grieving parent, the board commissioners’ decision feels utterly disrespectful and tone-deaf,” she said.
The district said it is also working on several long-term projects to support the school community. Plans include a resiliency center at Apalachee High School, a mural and benches to honor the four lives lost, and a permanent memorial in the city of Winder.
No decisions have been made regarding J-Hall’s future, but the district emphasized its commitment to keeping the families and the broader community involved in the process.
