McMorris Rodgers visits Freeman High School

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers delivered donuts to students and staff at Freeman High School on Tuesday morning, along with a pledge to bring federal assistance to the site of last week’s fatal school shooting.

“It’s all a part of the healing that needs to take place: To show our support, and be present, and let them know that we care,” McMorris Rodgers said.

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives are in their districts this week for a scheduled work session. The congresswoman said she spent an hour meeting with mental health counselors, school administrators and students before and after classes began at Freeman on Tuesday, the school’s second day back in session after last week’s shooting.

McMorris Rodgers said she’d been in contact with the Department of Education about providing Freeman with funds out of the School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) program, which provides financial assistance to schools that have undergone violent or traumatic events. That money could be used to assist continued counseling at the school, which may continue for some time, she said.

“Everyone is going to deal with it on their own timeline, and in their own way,” McMorris Rodgers said.

Kip Hill