Students at Perry Hall High School in Maryland are going back to school, less than 24 hours after a student opened fire in the school cafeteria.
Before entering the school Tuesday morning, hundreds of students and community members encircled the school's flagpole, hand-in-hand, with heads bowed praying for Daniel, the 17-year-old special education student wounded in the shooting, WBAL reports.
In a statement Monday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed his sympathies for the Perry Hall High School community.
"Gun violence has no place anywhere, least of all in our nation's schools," Duncan said. "I'd like to thank the local educators and law enforcement personnel who took action to help prevent additional students from getting hurt."
Robert Wayne Gladden, Jr., a 15-year-old student at the school, is being charged Tuesday morning for the shooting with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault.
He is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center, according to the Associated Press, though the suspect is cooperating with police according to police spokeswoman Elise Armacost. The incident was suspected to have stemmed from bullying.
The victim is still in critical condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
"I recently had the chance to visit with Principal George Roberts and the teachers at Perry Hall," Duncan said in his statement. "I know that both he and Superintendent Dance are committed to keeping students safe and learning, and we stand ready to support them in that work."
CORRECTION: A previous version of this piece incorrectly stated the charges against Gladden. We regret the error.
