Despite nearby police shooting death, life calm at Cerritos Elementary, principal says

The principal of Cerritos Elementary School said that despite the deadly officer-involved shooting early this morning just steps from the campus, student life has remained calm.

Principal Cynthia McCarty and a psychologist visited classrooms to meet with students who may have needed any help coping with the police activity, but they were by and large understanding and expressed no major concerns.

McCarty also created a script for teachers for student inquiries about the shooting, in which a man was shot and killed by Glendale police officers after engaging them in an intense gun battle early this morning.

During the morning commute, in which San Fernando Road between Glendale Avenue and Brand Boulevard was closed for the investigation, officers escorted parents dropping off their children for school.

In her script, McCarty said she described it as “a situation with a citizen.” She also advised teachers to notify the students that they were completely safe and to look for peers who needed help.

“We really emphasized that we are safe and the school is safe,” she said.

Teachers and parents received notifications this morning about the officer-involved shooting, and were advised to make the appropriate adjustment to their morning commutes.

There were few tardy students despite the closure of several main roads, McCarty said.

“It’s really been business as usual,” she said.

She planned to send a letter summarizing the events home to parents.

“It’s always unsettling when something like this happens,” McCarty said.

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News