Twenty-five years ago, the September 11 terrorist attacks claimed thousands of lives and affected families throughout the country, including many within the Montgomery County Public Schools community.
In a September 24, 2001 press release, MCPS announced that at least 113 students and staff members had reported parents, spouses, siblings, cousins and other relatives who had been declared dead or missing following the attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon.
The figures, collected from individual schools during the two weeks following the attacks, included reports from 85 students and 28 staff members. MCPS said at the time that the numbers were believed to be conservative because some information had not yet been collected.
Among those reported dead or missing were parents of eight MCPS students and spouses of two staff members. Two employees reported losing a brother or sister.
Fifty-three students and four staff members reported an aunt or uncle among the casualties, while 11 students and 12 staff members reported losing one or more cousins. Five employees reported that a niece or nephew had been declared dead or missing.
Thirteen students and three staff members reported multiple relatives or friends among those affected. Another 43 students and employees reported friends who had been declared dead or missing, including a former MCPS teacher.
The information represented what had been reported to the school system as of September 24, 2001, while recovery efforts continued and many families were still awaiting confirmation about their loved ones.
On the 25th anniversary of the attacks, the figures offer a reminder of how deeply September 11 affected the Montgomery County community, including children who returned to school while grieving parents and other relatives, and employees mourning spouses, siblings, extended family members and friends.
