Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Counselors Available for Students in D.C. Area

Aired October 08, 2002 - 14:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: School buses in Prince George's County, Maryland are less than packed, and more parents are escorting their kids into school, just one day after a 13-year-old boy is shot right outside his classroom at Benjamin Tasker Middle School.
CNN's Patty Davis joins us now from that school with the latest from there -- hi, Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well, that boy, that 13-year-old boy, who was shot here in front of Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Bowie, Maryland does remain in critical but stable condition at Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Police say forensic evidence, they found part of the bullet in him that connects this shooting to the other shootings presumably by that sniper, stalking people here in the Washington, D.C. area.

Parents and students understandably on edge today as they arrive here for school. School buses dropping off kids, police meeting them in front of the school, entering that same entrance where that boy was shot.

Parents walking their kids to school, driving them to school to try to keep them safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened yesterday, I panic, and I think it's a terrible thing to happen in the schools. But the children must be at school.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they can't supply safety for your students, well, I'm going to be a stay home mom and teach them at home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: This school and others around the region on lockdown. Now, here in Prince George's County, that means no recess outside, no outside activities, some after-school activities canceled. In Montgomery County, you are seeing a code blue, it is pretty much the same thing. No outside activities. They want to keep those kids in.

As for attendance at this Benjamin Tasker Middle School, officials just told me that the attendance here down 34 percent today, and they say that is much better than what they expected after what happened yesterday. In Montgomery County, attendance about 90 percent of what it normally is, and that's pretty good is what those officials are saying.

Now, counselors are available at many schools in this region to help the students deal with the events of the past week. Now that it's hit so close to home, a 13-year-old boy being struck at this school yesterday. Also, to help teachers in the area -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Patty, are the counselors making house calls with so many kids staying at home, or is this something that is just being offered there in school?

DAVIS: That's a good question, and I don't know the answer to that, but I know definitely that the counselors are available here. There's also a Web site with one of the schools, one of the school systems in the area that you can log on to, and get tips on how to deal with this, how to talk to your children about this.

Also, there's a pamphlet being given out by the Montgomery County Schools to help parents deal with all of this.

Are they making house calls? Good question. I'll try to find that out -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know what, we'll talk to you also later and get that Web site, Patty, and we'll plug that later in the hour. Thank you so much -- Patty Davis.

Now To The search for the Washington area sniper. It has parents, students, and Congress on edge and on alert. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is keeping up with the investigation for us from there -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we had quite a press conference this afternoon. The governor of Maryland, the mayor of Washington, D.C., a representative of the governor of Virginia, representatives of state and local law enforcement, all stood shoulder to shoulder to pledge their commitment to finding this individual. Now responsible...

PHILLIPS: All right. We seem to have lost the signal there with our Jeanne Meserve.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 8, 2002 - 14:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: School buses in Prince George's County, Maryland are less than packed, and more parents are escorting their kids into school, just one day after a 13-year-old boy is shot right outside his classroom at Benjamin Tasker Middle School.
CNN's Patty Davis joins us now from that school with the latest from there -- hi, Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well, that boy, that 13-year-old boy, who was shot here in front of Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Bowie, Maryland does remain in critical but stable condition at Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Police say forensic evidence, they found part of the bullet in him that connects this shooting to the other shootings presumably by that sniper, stalking people here in the Washington, D.C. area.

Parents and students understandably on edge today as they arrive here for school. School buses dropping off kids, police meeting them in front of the school, entering that same entrance where that boy was shot.

Parents walking their kids to school, driving them to school to try to keep them safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened yesterday, I panic, and I think it's a terrible thing to happen in the schools. But the children must be at school.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they can't supply safety for your students, well, I'm going to be a stay home mom and teach them at home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: This school and others around the region on lockdown. Now, here in Prince George's County, that means no recess outside, no outside activities, some after-school activities canceled. In Montgomery County, you are seeing a code blue, it is pretty much the same thing. No outside activities. They want to keep those kids in.

As for attendance at this Benjamin Tasker Middle School, officials just told me that the attendance here down 34 percent today, and they say that is much better than what they expected after what happened yesterday. In Montgomery County, attendance about 90 percent of what it normally is, and that's pretty good is what those officials are saying.

Now, counselors are available at many schools in this region to help the students deal with the events of the past week. Now that it's hit so close to home, a 13-year-old boy being struck at this school yesterday. Also, to help teachers in the area -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Patty, are the counselors making house calls with so many kids staying at home, or is this something that is just being offered there in school?

DAVIS: That's a good question, and I don't know the answer to that, but I know definitely that the counselors are available here. There's also a Web site with one of the schools, one of the school systems in the area that you can log on to, and get tips on how to deal with this, how to talk to your children about this.

Also, there's a pamphlet being given out by the Montgomery County Schools to help parents deal with all of this.

Are they making house calls? Good question. I'll try to find that out -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know what, we'll talk to you also later and get that Web site, Patty, and we'll plug that later in the hour. Thank you so much -- Patty Davis.

Now To The search for the Washington area sniper. It has parents, students, and Congress on edge and on alert. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is keeping up with the investigation for us from there -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we had quite a press conference this afternoon. The governor of Maryland, the mayor of Washington, D.C., a representative of the governor of Virginia, representatives of state and local law enforcement, all stood shoulder to shoulder to pledge their commitment to finding this individual. Now responsible...

PHILLIPS: All right. We seem to have lost the signal there with our Jeanne Meserve.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com