BENTON COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) -The Benton Community School District has lost two students in four days.
On Sunday, 13-year-old Mahailah Cruzen was killed in an ATV accident. The State Patrol’s report says the ATV hit a car at the intersection of 70th St. and 13th Ave. The driver of the ATV, a 14-year-old, is still in the hospital.
Then, on Wednesday, 16-year-old Mackenzie Kvam was killed in a collision with a school bus. Investigators say the van dropped off the shoulder and over-corrected, hitting the bus head on. Officials said the crash happened just after 7:30 a.m. half a mile north of Highway 30 on 15th Avenue. Five students on the bus suffered minor injuries, but are expected to be okay.
Tim Casey is a former teacher and current substitute in the Benton Community School District. He says he taught both girls in school; Mackenzie in 5 and 6th grade, and Mahalia later on as a substitute teacher. Casey says in smaller communities like theirs, teachers, students, and families get to know each other well, and that these losses have hit the community hard.
Benton Community School District’s Superintendent Dr. Pamela Ewell released a statement yesterday, saying “The District mourns the significant loss the student’s family and our school community are experiencing...We understand the considerable emotional impact this can have on our students and families.”
The district is also offering counseling.
Casey says he recommends students struggling right now use those services and talk with someone they trust, saying “When you see the lives of young people taken it’s a crisis of faith for people, like why do these things happen. That’s when they need to talk to someone and let out those feelings and realize it’s ok to be angry and go through that and talk with someone with experience.”
There is a Go Fund Me page set up to help the Cruzen family with funeral expenses, which can be found here.
Copyright 2020 KCRG. All rights reserved.
"four" - Google News
September 18, 2020 at 10:20AM
https://ift.tt/3ciBncM
Benton Community School District loses two students in vehicular crashes in four days - KCRG
"four" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ZSDCx7
https://ift.tt/3fdGID3
No comments:
Post a Comment