OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Case Balke is just one student trying to make sense of the officer-involved shooting and stabbing at Oshkosh West High School on Tuesday.
He spent Wednesday at the city’s YMCA because school was canceled.
Balke says when he realized what was happening in his school on Tuesday…
“I kind of took the action of being a leader in the classroom, and barricaded the door and making sure everybody was safe.”
But what happened impacted parents like Jodi Rucinski too.
“My worst fears come true,” she said. She has two daughters in the Oshkosh Area School District.
Rucinski took off work to bring them to the YMCA on Wednesday.
She tells FOX she hopes her daughters can feel safe again in their classrooms.
“It’s something I’ve talked to my kids about a lot. They always say it’s not a matter of ‘if’ it’s going to happen but when, and to finally have something like this happen at our school, it’s really scary.”
The YMCA was not just a safe place for students like Balke to stay on Wednesday.
Director Abby Burlingham tells FOX 11 several parents and businesses came to donate food and provide lunch for both the students and the staff.
“We had Jimmy John’s donate subs, and we’ve got pizzas and Taco John’s donated tacos.”
She hopes the center can provide some normalcy for the students.
“Our mission is to just lift up the community after an incident like yesterday or just any day.”
She adds it’s all to make sure students like Balke have somewhere safe to stay.
