Ewing students return to school with additional police on-site
EWING TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- Wednesday morning, classes will be back in session at schools in Ewing Township after a sudden closure the day before.
When students arrive for class Wednesday, they will notice additional officers on campus. Officers were posted Tuesday outside each of the district's five public schools as well as several nearby Mercer County-based schools out of an abundance of caution.
Ewing Township police say the gunman had local ties to the Ewing area.
Later, investigators determined the incident was isolated to Michigan and there was no threat to any Ewing schools.
"It was a little nerve-wracking yesterday, kind of scary just to think what could've happened. But I see all the cops out here and I know they're going to keep us safe," Dantae, a sophomore, said.
He said he was concerned about mass shootings in the country.
Tytianna, a senior, said she has been scared of a shooting happening at school.
"My biggest fear has always been someone just walking in and shooting the school up," she said.
Though she feels the building is safe, news of the shooter's ties to the area hit close to home and had her on edge.
"It's always been in like, New York, Buffalo, things like that, but it's never really been in my area, where I am," she said.
Dantae said students will be looking out for each other as they head back to class Wednesday.
"I feel like we've got to just keep each other up, and keep our spirits high," he added. "That's all we've got to do, we've got to be a community together."
While families say the threat was too close to home, they appreciate the fast response from Ewing police.
"Knowing that it was this close to home, it is pretty scary," parent Meesha Francis said Tuesday, "and it's scary every day that I send my daughter to school."
The district in a statement said: "Our hearts go out to the victims in Michigan. The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority."
Students will notice an additional law enforcement presence at schools.
