After teen’s killing, how is Euclid City Schools supporting students and staff?

When the bell rang Monday morning at Euclid High School, one desk sat empty. Juelyon Bennett, a 17-year-old Euclid High student, was shot and killed Saturday evening on Shirley Avenue, and the classmates and teachers who walked back into the building did it knowing three other teenagers were still recovering from the same gunfire.

The shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, September 12, in the 27200 block of Shirley Avenue. Bennett, of Euclid, was identified by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner as the sole fatality. The wounded were a 17-year-old and a 16-year-old in stable condition, and a 19-year-old who was treated and released. Several people involved were current or former Euclid High School students, according to police.

Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer said investigators had identified all suspected shooters but had not disclosed whether any arrests had been made, and the case remains an active investigation. Meyer said investigators were waiting on forensic evidence, including ballistics and DNA. "Our condolences go out to the family, friends and loved one of all those involved," he said. "Some were victims, but some of the victims are also suspects," he said.

Euclid police released body-camera video from the response to the shooting. The detective bureau can be reached at 216-289-8505 or [email protected], and the department's non-emergency line is 216-731-1234.

Monday at Euclid High

Students and staff returned to Euclid High on Monday, September 14. Police said they were working with Euclid City Schools and increasing security at the high school campus.

The district said in a statement that it was deeply saddened by the loss of one of its students and that the safety and well-being of students and staff remained its top priority. It said counseling resources would be available to students and staff in the days ahead, and that administrators and counselors were made available Monday.

But the district has not said what any of that actually means. There is no named counseling center, no location, no hours, no phone number, and no word on whether families can use the resources or only students and staff. The district has not said how long the counselors will stay, who is staffing them, or what happens after the first week back.

Who answers for what comes next

Superintendent Karen Brown is the district official responsible for the response, and families and staff can reach her at [email protected] or (216) 797-2922.

What Brown and the city still owe the people walking into Euclid High is a straight answer: How long do the counselors stay? Who staffs them? What does the school do after the first week, when the cameras leave and the building settles back into routine? A hotline and a Monday-morning presence are a start, but the kids and staff who lost a classmate need to know whether this grief gets real, sustained support — or becomes another weekend Euclid is told to move on from.