About | Members | Guide to Recovery | Legislative Agenda | Events | News | Contact

Members of the PRN at the Columbine memorial. Photo by Jim Darling.

About

Founded in April 2019, the NASSP Principal Recovery Network (PRN) is a national network of current and former school leaders who have experienced gun violence tragedies in their buildings. Together, the PRN seeks to assist principals in the immediate aftermath of a crisis and well beyond. PRN members reach out directly to their colleagues to provide much-needed support, share the combined wisdom of their experience with the larger principal community through various outlets, assist schools during recovery, and advocate for national school safety enhancements and violence prevention programs.

If you are a school leader who has experienced a shooting, the PRN is here to support you. Send a message to [email protected], and NASSP staff will connect you with a PRN member. You may also read the Guide to Recovery, a collection of best practices to assist school leaders in the aftermath of shooting tragedies.


Members

Michael Bennett

Michael Bennett*
former assistant principal
Columbia High School
East Greenbush, NY

Elizabeth Brown

Elizabeth Brown*
former principal
Forest High School
Ocala, FL

Frank DeAngelis

Frank DeAngelis*
former principal
Columbine High School
Columbine, CO

Lauren Ford

Lauren Ford*
former principal
Procter R. Hug High School
Reno, NV

Andy Fetchik

Andy Fetchik*
former principal
Chardon High School
Chardon, OH

Andy Fetchik

Denise Fredericks*
principal
Townville Elementary School
Townville, SC

Kathleen Gombos

Kathleen Gombos
principal
Sandy Hook Elementary School
Sandy Hook, CT

Patricia Greer

Patricia Greer*
principal
Marshall County High School
Marshall County, KY

Warman Hall

Warman Hall*
principal
Aztec High School
Aztec, NM

Jake Heibel

Jake Heibel*
former principal
Great Mills High School
Great Mills, MD

Matthew Hicks

Matthew Hicks
former assistant principal
Noblesville West Middle School
Noblesville, IN

Greg Johnson

Greg Johnson*
principal
West Liberty-Salem High School
West Liberty, OH

Andy McGill

Andy McGill*
assistant principal
West Liberty-Salem High School
West Liberty, OH

Kevin Lein

Kevin Lein*
former principal
Harrisburg High School
Harrisburg, SD

George Roberts

George Roberts*
former principal
Perry Hall High School
Baltimore, MD

Ryan Rollinger

Ryan Rollinger
principal
Harrisburg High School
Harrisburg, SD

Michael Sedlak

Michael Sedlak*
former assistant principal
Chardon High School
Chardon, OH

Kacy Shahid

Kacy Shahid
former principal
Central Visual and Performing Arts High School
St. Louis, MO

Ty Thompson

Ty Thompson*
former principal
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Parkland, FL

Stacey Ting-Senini

Stacey Ting-Senini*
principal
Sparks Middle School
Sparks, NV

Michelle Kefford

Michelle Kefford
principal
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Parkland, FL

*Founding Member


Guide to Recovery

In August 2022, the PRN published the Guide to Recovery, a collection of best practices to assist school leaders in the aftermath of shooting tragedies. Read or download the guide now.


Legislative Agenda

In June 2023, the PRN met with Members of Congress to ask for policies to improve mental health, safety and learning in schools. Download the agenda.


Events

2023

November

House Oversight Committee Democrats roundtable on gun violence

PRN members Michelle Kefford and Mike Bennett presented during the PSPR2 Session 9: Civil and Criminal Judicial Processes.

2023 National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security. PRN member Michelle Kefford presented the Master Class on Recovery from a School Tragedy session.

October

Congressional Roundtable on gun violence, which was covered by K12 Dive.

PRN members presented in two webinars as part of the Mass Casualty Impact & Recovery Seminar Series.

September

PRN members Elizabeth Brown and George Roberts presented during the PSPR2 Session 7: Negotiating Mid to Long Term Recovery.

June

PRN Members Share Their Experiences—and Their Wisdom

Members of NASSP’s Principal Recovery Network (PRN), a group of current and former school leaders who have experienced gun violence in their buildings, met with federal officials and members of Congress in Washington, D.C. last week to discuss the pressing need to reduce the alarming number of school shootings.

In a packed two days of meetings, the PRN members met with staff from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (which oversees a number of initiatives related to school safety); top officials at the Department of Education, including Secretary Miguel Cardona; members of the White House Domestic Policy Council, including President Biden’s chief education policy advisor; and various elected officials during lobbying visits to Capitol Hill. Read more here.


2022

Principals Who Experienced Shootings Release Guide at Panel Discussion

On Monday, August 22, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Principal Recovery Network, a national network of current and former school leaders who have experienced gun violence tragedies in their schools, held a panel discussion to announce the release of their Guide to Recovery, a collection of best practices to assist school leaders in the aftermath of these tragedies. Held at Columbine Memorial and streamed online, speakers include current and former principals of Columbine High School and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

View photos from the event here.


2020

Leading After a School Shooting: A Principal’s Role in Recovery, Healing, and Prevention

At this free PRN event, administrators discussed their stories, lessons learned through tragedy, and recommendations for congressional action to support schools impacted by gun violence and prevent future tragedies. Learn more here.


In the News

From NASSP

Ensuring Safety at Football Games and After-school Events
October 4, 2023

New Guide Helps School Leaders Who Experience Gun Violence
August 24, 2022 • NASSP

Statement from National Education Organizations on Gun Violence Prevention Package in Senate
June 8, 2022 • NASSP

Principal Recovery Network Briefs Congress on Capitol Hill
February 26, 2020 • NASSP

Principals of Schools With Shootings Create Network for Mutual Support, Outreach, and Advocacy
April 9, 2019 • NASSP

Media Coverage

2024

How to Strengthen the Safety and Security of Your School
January 22, 2024 • EdWeek

2023

Gun violence solutions ‘well within our reach’
November 14, 2023 • K12 Dive

How Principals Can Help Support Students Through a Mental Health Crisis
May 29, 2023 • EdWeek

Coalition of principals to Congress: ‘Here’s how to help prevent school shootings’
June 14, 2023 • District Administration

Former Parkland Principal Calls For Mental Health Wellness Centers in Every School
June 12, 2023 • The 74 Million

Former Parkland principal pushes for more protection following school shootings
June 8, 2023 • WPTV and a handful of other networks

2022

Principals write a guide on school shootings they hope their peers will never have to use
August 25, 2022 • NBC

Educators who survived school shootings help districts deal with aftermath
August 25, 2022 • International Affairs

Educators who survived school shootings help districts deal with aftermath
August 24, 2022 • KSAT

NASSP Principal Recovery Network Releases Guide To Recovery
August 24, 2022 • AASA

Principals from Sandy Hook, other school shootings guide peers to recovery: ‘you are not alone’
August 24, 2022 • CT Insider

School shootings leave parents on edge as classrooms reopen
August 23, 2022 • Yahoo News

Principals who have been through it offer guidance for navigating school shooting aftermath
August 23, 2022 • K-12 Dive

Frank DeAngelis, other principals with trauma experience release guide to recovery
August 23, 2022 • CBS Colorado

New guidebook from Principal Recovery Network: How you can recover from a school shooting
August 23, 2022 • District Administration

‘You are not alone’: Principals offer advice on how to navigate the aftermath of a school shooting
August 23, 2022 • WLRN

Principals impacted by school tragedies share Guide to Recovery with colleagues at Columbine Memorial
August 23, 2022, • ABC Cincinnati

The Club that No One Wants to Join
June 6, 2022 • The Atlantic

A new effort led by principals shares best practices for handling school shootings
June 4, 2022 • National Public Radio

The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle
May 26, 2022 • MSNBC

Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
May 25, 2022 • CNN

2020

6 Lessons Principals Learned in the Wake of School Shootings
February 13, 2020 • Education Dive

School Leaders Who Survived Shootings Plead for More Funds for Recovery
February 12, 2020 • Politico

Teacher Unions, Gun-Control Advocates Urge Changes to Active-Shooter Drills, Citing Student Trauma
February 11, 2020 • Washington Post

2019

20 Years After Columbine, Principals Form Network to Cope With Shootings
April 21, 2019 • The 74

20 Years After Columbine Principals From Network to Cope With Shootings
April 16, 2019 • EdWeek

Principals From Schools With Shootings Form Support Network
April 10, 2019 • Associated Press

“When Does It Get Back To Normal? It Doesn’t”: Columbine’s Former Principal Calls His Peers After School Shootings to Counsel Them
April 8, 2019 • Buzzfeed

Contact Us

If you are a principal or assistant principal who had a shooting in your school and are interested in joining the PRN, a member of the press who would like to speak with a PRN member, or if you would like more information about the PRN and its work, contact us here:

PRN Contact

Use the form below to send us questions or feedback.