Valley Forge and Normandy High Schools were closed Tuesday and were scheduled to stay closed Wednesday after an 18-year-old Valley Forge student fatally shot herself in the cafeteria Monday, April 20. Police said the student was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead from her injuries.
The Parma City School District said it would offer counseling to students in need, a move that gives families and staff a place to turn after two days of disruption at the two high schools. The district closure comes as school communities in the region face another public gathering Tuesday night, when districts across Summit County are holding a forum at Firestone Community Learning Center to discuss what they describe as threats to public education.
The forum, free and open to the public, is set for 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 5 p.m. Participating districts include Akron, Copley-Fairlawn, Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Manchester, Mogadore, Stow-Munroe Falls, Tallmadge and Twinsburg. While the summit of school concerns in one county is not the same as a tragedy in another, the timing puts the strain on districts already trying to reassure parents and students while keeping campuses running.
The question for Parma now is not whether the closures were necessary — they were — but how quickly the district can help students return to a school day that feels normal again. With counseling available and classes paused for 2 days, the work ahead is restoring routine after a death that was sudden, public and impossible to miss.