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Volume 54, No. 26
stanDarD Postage & Fees PaiD WiLLoughby, oh Permit 42
CHESTERLAND NEWS Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Your Community Newspaper Since 1967
Kotowski: Criticism Has Been Constructive
Obituaries page 4
West Geauga Board Discusses Parent/Teacher Safety Concerns By Brian Doering brian@karlovecmedia.com Following weeks of input from parents and the community, West Geauga Schools officials weighed in on how to improve safety and communication April 24. Board Vice President Christina Sherwood said she has been meeting with parents over the last several weeks, as well as people who have reached out with concerns. “I have four pages of notes from all of them, but most of them were fairly consistent. One of the most consistent messages that I got was that our communications need to be improved,” Sherwood said. Concerns from parents poured in after an incident April 3 involving West Geauga Senior Brandon Michael Morrissette, who was arrested for bringing a handgun to school with reported
Grand Jury Indicts Morrissette on 3 Felony Counts By Cassandra Shofar cassandra@karlovecmedia.com
A Geauga County grand jury indicted Brandon Michael Morrissette on three felony counts, including attempted aggravated murder, possession of a deadly weapon and inducing panic. Morrissette Morrissette, 18, of Lyndhurst, was arrested April 3 after bringing a 9mm handgun with three loaded magazines to West Geauga High School with reported plans to shoot multiple students. The indictment was filed in Geauga County Common Pleas Court May 2 and served to Morrissette at the Geauga County Safety Center, where he has remained since his April 12 arraignment in Chardon Municipal Court. Morrissette was arraigned in Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Paschke’s courtroom May 8. The attempted aggravated murder charge, which carries three specifications, is a first-degree felony; and the possession of a deadly weapon and Morrissette • Page 2
plans to shoot multiple students. Sherwood said some teachers told her they felt comfortable and more in the loop during the April 3 incident, while others did not quite know what was happening. “This was specifically to our ‘shelter-in-place’ policy. The middle school seemed to have gone a little bit sideways because some people handled it differently,” Sherwood said. “Some of it was ‘We’re not really sure what we’re supposed to be doing’ and some of it was, ‘We’re in a music room and we obviously can’t conduct music right now, so we’re just going to kind of hang out.’ It felt more like a lockdown than a shelter-in-place.” Board President Ben Kotowski said he spoke with students and one of them told him their teacher did not know how to handle the situation. “I think this is a place where we could really make a very simple improvement. When a
West Geauga Plaza pages 6-7
Police Blotter page 8
Town Crier page 9 BRIAN DOERING/KMG
Board Vice President Christina Sherwood discusses safety and communication issues raised by parents on April 24.
teacher is in a position where an emergency is happening, their role changes. This kid told me Safety• Page 10
Lacrosse Team Ends Season Early Then Changes Course By Jamie Ward jamie@karlovecmedia.com After the West Geauga boys lacrosse team decided to end its season before playing its last two scheduled games, the school reversed course on May 8 following a backlash from some parents, scheduling a final game for May 10 against Orange. The Wolverines were winless at 0-10 this season. "There have been a lot of frustrations this season for a lot of different reasons and none of that solely falls on any one person on the team or coaches on the staff," Stewart wrote in an email to parents and players. "Coach (James) Weir and his staff were focused on making this the best possible experience of these student-athletes as possible and I truly believe they have given their best effort to do that." Stewart based his decision on meetings with several players, and several other emails. Based on that feedback, Stewart said the team would not play its May 12 scheduled game with Cleveland Heights and the first round playoff game.
Classifieds page 12
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The West Geauga boys lacrosse team cut its season short two games before the end after the athletic director met with some players. The Wolverines were 0-10. The team is seen here during the closest match of the season, an 8-7 overtime loss to Keystone.
"Our seeding would have put us against one of the top teams in Division and I did not think that was going to be fair to anyone involved," Stewart wrote. The team previously played Orange April 28 and lost 14-8 at West Geauga High School. "Based on the overall feedback from the players, a majority of the kids I have spoken with, it wasn't
my decision in the end," Stewart said. "It's what the kids asked for." Stewart said the team's coaches were frustrated with the decision, and wanted more input, but ultimately did not have the final say. But an email from High School Principal Ryan Patti said the See Lacrosse • Page 5
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