Longfellow Middle School intervention specialist dies of cardiac event

LORAIN — A Longfellow Middle School intervention specialist is dead after suffering a cardiac event Friday afternoon. Lorain firefighters and LifeCare were called to the building just before 3 p.m., after Principal Andrew Hoffman had walked past Lisa Carter's sixth-grade classroom and found her lying on the floor. Carter was taken to Mercy Health Medical Center where she was pronounced dead, CEO Jeff Graham said. There were no children in the building at the time of the incident, Graham said. While initial reports suggested she had choked while eating something, it was found she'd suffered a cardiac event. In an email to Longfellow Middle School staff, Hoffman disclosed the "devastating" news, noting the district's Crisis Intervention Team, school counselors and other mental health professionals will be on hand in the coming weeks. "Ms. Carter loved serving the students at Longfellow and was the type of teacher who would do anything to positively impact her students," he wrote. "... This is an incredibly difficult day for our school community and our city. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Carter family. Hug your loved ones a little longer this weekend." This year was Carter's first year in the east-side middle school. She'd previously worked at General Johnnie Wilson Middle School, Graham said, as well as Elyria A Schools, according to her LinkedIn profile. A moment of silence was held at the girls' Lake Erie Conference Championship basketball game Friday evening.