Wolcott, N.Y. — A survivor of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting visited Wayne County Friday to share a powerful message of resilience and the importance of school safety.
Reichen Posey, who was a first grader when the shooting happened in 2012, spoke alongside his mother, Carly Posey, at North Rose-Wolcott High School.
The shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, left 20 children and six educators dead, making it one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
BACKGROUND: Sandy Hook shooting survivors graduating without 20 of their classmates
The presentation was part of a professional development day focused on school safety, bringing together staff from the North Rose-Wolcott and Lyons school districts, along with Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES.
Reichen reflected on the challenges he faced returning to the classroom after the tragedy.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “School has always been super tough for me and it took a long time for me to be able to be in a school again.”
His mother emphasized the importance of looking beyond emergency procedures and considering the people affected by traumatic events.
“At the end of the day, it’s about people who are involved in the emergency and how we can take care of them,” Carly Posey said. “I think that sometimes gets forgotten about when we’re just thinking about the process of it.”
The pair hopes sharing their experiences will help educators better understand the lasting impact of school violence and the importance of creating safe, supportive learning environments.
