NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Students, faculty and staff will return to The Covenant School campus less than a year after six people were killed by an active shooter.
On March 27, 2023, three children and three adults were shot and killed by 28-year-old Audrey Hale at the Covenant School in Green Hills. The victims were identified Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all 9 years old; as well as Cynthia Peak, 61; Dr. Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.
Students have been attending classes inside the Brentwood Hills Church of Christ since three weeks after the shooting.
On Monday, the Tennessee Court of Appeals heard arguments regarding the release of the Covenant School shooter’s writings.
Several family members of Covenant School shooting victims filed petitions earlier this year asking for the writings to be kept private. According to documents, families of the victims believe the release of the shooter’s writings could bring “psychological consequences for the survivors and their families.”
On Monday, the court also heard from a lawyer who represent the Covenant Presbyterian Church, who argued that because the church owns the Covenant School and operates under the same premises as the school, the release of the writings would also reveal security and schematic information shared by both the church and school.
There is no timeline on when the court will decide whether or not parents and Metro government will get to weigh in on the release of these documents. A separate judge will decide if, and what parts of the documents will be released.