WINCHESTER, Ky. (FOX 56) — Clark County is mourning the loss of one of its own, 15-year-old McKenna Letcher.
The George Rogers Clark High School freshman was killed Tuesday morning after a Clark County bus struck her while she was crossing the road. The investigation is open and active, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, and is asking witnesses to reach out.
RELATED | Clark County Schools ‘heartbroken’ after 15-year-old girl dies in school bus accident
“How are we doing?” asked Clark County Schools superintendent Dustin Howard. “We are hurting, we are heartbroken. We are managing the loss of a 15-year-old girl, trying to support her family, trying to support our staff, our students, and the entirety of the community. It is not supposed to be this way.”
Howard held a news conference on Wednesday.
“Our heart is breaking folks, and for us to get through this, and I mean us, we have to be in this together,” added Howard. “Somebody is going to bury their 15-year-old daughter this week.”
During the news conference, Howard asked the community to be a light during this dark time.
“We need everyone to support the family, our school system, our students, and our community. In a world, in a time where it’s very easy to be cynical and divisive, to poke holes and put things on social media, to be trolls, frankly, I am asking you not to do that, for this family, for this school system, for our kids and our community. They deserve better.”
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Community members set up a memorial at the crash site to honor McKenna. Howard said that is just one way the entire state of Kentucky has wrapped its arms around this community.
“The administrator of education drove from Frankfort yesterday to be here at our high school to pray with us and our kids; he went to the bus garage; he did not have to do that,” said Howard. “We’ve had superintendents, and staff from across the state of Kentucky reach out and give us their best wishes, prayers, and support.”
The district is continuing to offer support as needed for students and staff.
“From the time we found out, we’ve tried to put strategic interventions in place, from transferring students that were on the bus to a different bus; we had administrators meet them with counselors at the doors; we’ve made personal phone calls home to the nine students who were on the bus. Again, reached out to the family, reached out to the bus driver,” said Howard.
Clark County Coroner Neal Oliver said McKenna is a registered tissue donor and that her corneas will be donated.
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“McKenna was a freshman at George Rogers Clark High School and a member of Catalyst Church of Winchester. She was an active Girl Scout with Troop 2619,” an obituary reads. “McKenna’s light touched the lives of many, and she will be profoundly missed.”
According to Scobee Funeral Home, a visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Leon Pace Memorial Chapel.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. on Friday at the same location.
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Source link : https://www.yahoo.com/news/clark-county-community-mourns-loss-212733440.html
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Publish date : 2024-09-04 10:27:00
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