Executive Director David Schuler unveiled the Superintendent Response and Recovery Network—a vital lifeline connecting district leaders who have navigated school violent crises with those currently facing similar challenges — at AASA's 2025 National Conference on Education on Friday.
“When tragic events occur in our schools–a growing reality that not one of us is ever truly prepared for – leaders need to know that they’re not alone,” Schuler said during the 2nd General Session. He acknowledged this new effort was a response to a gap in needed support for superintendents in the hot seat when a tragic event occurs on school grounds.
This following video was played during the general session:
AASA’s fledgling network aims to be a peer-to-peer support system that offers both immediate guidance during critical incidents and ongoing resources for healing and rebuilding. It will focus on three critical phases of crisis response: preparedness, response and recovery.
The Superintendent Response and Recovery Network will be co-led by superintendents who have had the unfortunate experience of navigating such incidents: Kimberley Cantu of the Mansfield Independent School District in Texas and Randy Russell of the Freeman School District in Washington. Additional guidance and support will be offered by crisis management expert Cheri Lovre and retired superintendent Janet Robinson, who was superintendent of Newtown Public School District in Connecticut during the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
During his general session speech, Schuler urged attendees to save the AASA Crisis Hotline number, which is managed by Robinson, in their phones to ensure immediate access to critical support when facing school emergencies.
The launch of the network comes with a suite of new resources including a response checklist, crisis team development and communications templates, all of which can be adapted to a district’s needs. Additional opportunities for virtual engagement around topics such as threat assessment, crisis management and more will be offered soon.
Any school district leader wanting to be involved in the Superintendent Response and Recovery Network can visit aasa.org/srrn.
The network’s two co-leaders said they were compelled to embrace the opportunity to assist colleagues in need.
“There are so many leaders across this nation who are wanting to make sure they are as prepared as possible for a tragic situation,” said Cantu during an interview prior to the national conference about the launch of this new initiative. “I've lived through those desperate moments where you’re searching for answers and support. I'm grateful to stand on the other side of that experience, extending support and guidance to others on similar paths.”
Russell, in a preconference interview, said experiencing a school shooting on a campus in his school district in 2017 “not only changed the lives of all the students and staff in our community, but it changed my life as well.”
He added: “This network is an opportunity for all of us to effectively prepare and act during a crisis or a tragedy and then begin to rebuild a road to recovery for our districts.”
(Elizabeth Serrano is AASA’s senior marketing manager.)
