Foxborough Schools Ready to Support Students; Remember Boston Marathon Victims After Tragedy

Monday is Foxborough's first day of school since last week’s deadly attacks on the Boston Marathon and Superintendent of Schools Debra Spinelli said staff is ready for the return of students who may have questions about the tragedy.

“Faced with yet another incident of inexplicable violence that has taken the life of another young child and other innocent people, we know we will likely face more questions from our students,” Spinelli said. “All schools will have counselors on hand to talk with children who need support. It is important that we help students return to the comfort of their school routines.”

Spinelli added there are resources available under the “Parent” section of the FPS website that offer tips on how to talk to children about violence.

“We kept the most helpful advice from the December Newtown tragedy, ‘Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers’ [on the FPS website].”

Click here for the link.

Foxborough schools will open Monday with a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, according to Spinelli.

Foxborough Regional Charter School Executive Director Dr. Mark Logan issued a letter to parents earlier in the week addressing the April 15th attacks and how the school will handle the news when students return to class on April 22.

"The traumatic events that occurred at this year's Boston Marathon have not only resulted in a range of high emotions, including shock, sadness, and anger, but have also provided an opportunity for us to show our strength, spirit, compassion, and resiliency," Dr. Logan said. "The outpouring of support from all over the world has demonstrated that love and kindness are clearly evident throughout our society, and our commitment to supporting one another will help us mourn and grow stronger.

"When we return to school on Monday, we will conduct a moment of silence just prior to the Pledge of Allegiance during homeroom. As I certainly appreciate the age and developmental range of our student body, I will keep the remarks very brief and general to 'the events that occurred at the Boston Marathon.'

"As you know, we are well equipped here at FRCS with outstanding professionals who can support others during traumatic events. Should you or your children have concerns and would like someone at school to support your needs during this time, especially if someone you know was impacted by this tragedy, please contact me directly. I will help coordinate any support your family may need."

The town’s students and staff were on April vacation last week when two bombs on Boylston Street near the finish line of the Boston Marathon exploded, killing three people and injuring over 180 more.

The Patriots’ Day tragedy began a week of terror in Boston and the Greater Boston area as authorities searched for those who were responsible.

On Thursday, FBI released 11 images and a video segment of two male suspects believed to be responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings.

A hair-raising Thursday night/Friday morning chase and firefight led to the death of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, the shooting of Transit Police officer Richard Donohue, a dead suspect and another in handcuffs.

Along the way, nearly one million Greater Boston residents were trapped in their homes as the suspects tossed explosives, engaged in heavy arms fire with police, and finally (after one was killed) the survivor seemingly barricaded himself in a Watertown house.

The deadly night started on the MIT campus, when Collier was shot and killed after responding to an armed robbery at a 7-Eleven. The officer reportedly sustained multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney's office. The campus was placed in lockdown around midnight.

Also around midnight, two men reportedly carjacked a Mercedes, taking the owner for a short ride before leaving him on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. The LoJack on the car located it in Watertown, where police responded.

That led to chaos in the streets as the suspects tossed explosives out of the car and then engaged police in an extended firefight, caught on video by Watertown residents in their homes. The exchange with police included explosions, according to police scanner transmissions. The seriously injured Donohue was taken to a local hospital and treated for a gunshot wound, according to a statement by the MBTA. 

As Boston Police, the FBI, ATF and Homeland Security swarmed in Watertown, local police struggled to keep residents in their homes and media away from the active scene. NBC's Pete Williams reported that one of the explosives found by police was fashioned out of a pressure cooker, similar to the bombs used Marathon Monday. That was later corroborated by law enforcement officials, who said the suspects also had pipe bombs and grenades.

In the wee hours of the morning, the names of the two suspects were released: Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, two brothers originally from Chechnya. Tamerlan was killed in the Watertown gunfight, though its unclear what the cause of death was.

By Friday morning, a terrible stasis developed in Watertown as a massive manhunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev commenced, with police converging a home near Dexter and Quimby streets. Watertown itself was completely locked down, with residents told to stay behind locked doors, and no car travel allowed in or out of the community.

All of Boston, Waltham, Newton, Belmont, Brookline, and Cambridge were placed under a "shelter-at-home" recommendation, with public officials imploring residents to stay locked in their homes.

The MBTA was completely shut down. Amtrack suspended service between Boston and Providence. Cab service was suspended in Boston. Businesses remain closed. A bustling city of 650,000 was suddenly a ghost town as the heavily armed fugitive remained out of police grasp.

Friday lingered with greater Boston eerily quiet and little new information coming from police. By 6 p.m., Governor Deval Patrick lifted the T suspension and allowed residents to leave their homes.

By 7:30 p.m., however, Watertown erupted again in police activity, with waves of law enforcement officials crashing down to Franklin and Walnut streets. The suspect was pinned in a boat in a backyard.

After an exchange of gunfire and the loud pops of flashbangs, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured.

With both of the bombing suspects accounted for Friday night, law enforcement believe they have nabbed the men responsible for the deadliest domestic bombing attack in the 21st century.

Patch editor Roberto Scalese contributed to this report.