A Georgia teacher guided people through grief. Now, his community is showing mercy for students involved in his death

By Andy Rose, CNN

Gainesville, Georgia (CNN) — When adults and students at North Hall High School needed guidance, reassurance, help handling tragedies in their lives, many made their first stop in the classroom of Jason Hughes.

Now, they’re trying to figure out where to turn as the Georgia school deals with the loss of Hughes himself in what by all accounts was an accident involving some of his beloved students.

“Fifty-year-old coaches that have been doing this for a while have tears in their eyes, saying, ‘He’s the one I would go to. What am I going to do now?’” Hall County Superintendent Will Schofield told CNN.

The emotions many students would be expressing to Hughes in person now cover the door to the math teacher’s classroom, plus its frame and the wall around the plaque marking room 1328.

“You were my favorite teacher and I will always miss you,” a student named Emily wrote on one of dozens of Post-It Notes – pink, green, white, yellow, blue – gracing the space.

“Love everyone as Hughes would,” wrote another. “He’ll be forever missed.”

The Bible’s Matthew 25:23 – “Well done, good and faithful servant” – is invoked on several notes, seen in photos published by the school’s yearbook staff.

Many students refer to the teacher and coach as their “School Dad.”

Hughes, 40, died March 6 after falling into the path of a student’s vehicle outside his home in Gainesville, some 60 miles northeast of Atlanta. It happened amid a long-standing, lighthearted prank in which juniors and seniors unfurl toilet paper onto the homes of teachers, who try to catch them in the act.

After “rolling” Hughes’ home, five students got into two pickup trucks, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said. As the teens drove away, the teacher slipped on wet pavement, and one of the pickups ran him over him.

The students, all 18, stopped to help as medics responded, the sheriff’s office said.

Hughes died, leaving behind his wife, Laura, also a math teacher at North Hall, and two young sons. The students – three young men and two young women – were arrested, and their fate was widely discussed by a grieving community preparing for the cherished teacher’s Saturday funeral.

Teacher’s wife said students shouldn’t be charged

Within two days of the arrests, Laura Hughes said her late husband wouldn’t want the students to face criminal charges. And neither did she.

“This is a terrible tragedy, and our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students,” said Hughes in a written statement released by the family. “This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”

The unifying example set by Jason Hughes in life and Laura Hughes after his death are keeping the community together now, the superintendent said.

“You always worry when there’s a tragedy whether it will split the community, whether you’ll have people that have some really deep hurt feelings,” Schofield said. “When his wife came out that quickly with her statement, as a grown man, that brought me to tears.”

The toilet paper prank is a North Hall tradition, part of the “Junior Senior Wars” leading up to prom. Students roll teachers’ homes and document the acts on Instagram to earn points in an unofficial contest.

The Hughes home had been a prized target in recent years, social media posts suggest, worth extra points since two teachers lived there.

If a teacher could catch the kids in the act and take their picture, the students lost points. A blurry photo posted last year on Instagram shows two of the students arrested in connection with Hughes’ death smiling broadly.

“Juniors caught,” the post says, indicating they’d lost four points.

Jason Hughes had been looking forward to the students coming again this year, his wife told the New York Times.

He “was excited,” she said, “and waiting to catch them in the act.”

Hughes remembered as a spiritual leader

While there have been public honors for Hughes – his smiling yearbook photo was displayed on the scoreboard overlooking the football field – much of the grieving in this community of about 200,000 people is playing out in private.

Guards who monitor comings and goings at the high school were augmented by local sheriff’s deputies. Grief counselors provided comfort, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organized voluntary student prayer services.

Less than 10 miles away, the Hughes home sat on a quiet street, vehicles packed into the driveway as friends and loved ones stopped by to help what is now a family of three.

“It was just such a shock,” said neighbor Bucky Walters. “The kids just loved them.”

Jason Hughes worked with the football team as what head coach Sean Pender called an academic and spiritual coach.

“He never judged. He never forced anything on anyone,” Pender wrote on Facebook. “He simply loved people well. He met people where they were, lifted them up, and reminded them that they mattered.”

Hughes’ spiritual legacy was also noted in a statement released by the teen driver whose truck ran over the teacher.

“I pledge to live out the remainder of my life in a manner that honors the memory of Coach Hughes by exemplifying Christ,” he said in a written statement. “He will never be forgotten.”

The young man’s parents said their son shares the same feelings expressed around school about the respected teacher and coach.

“Jason Hughes meant the world to our son,” they said in a written statement. “He took the time to invest in (him) and poured his love into him, making a lasting impact.”

After speaking directly to the teacher’s family, Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh told CNN on Friday that he would follow Laura Hughes’ wishes and drop all charges against the students.

Many in the community – from school to the Hughes’ neighborhood – had hoped the wishes expressed by the family would be honored.

“You know, in the culture we have, people need someone to blame,” Walters said earlier in the week. “But sometimes these things are nobody’s fault.”

Community tries to ‘pick up the slack’ after mentor’s death

At the door to Hughes’ classroom, the tacked-on memorial messages speak to the legacy of the math teacher, even among those who never had him in class.

“I enjoyed saying good morning to you, and seeing you absolutely made my day, everyday,” reads one note.

It’s a legacy the superintendent says is especially important now as they all try to move on without the man who set that tone.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say we’re going to have to pick up the slack, because Coach Hughes isn’t here anymore,” Schofield said.

And the football coach who counted Hughes among his closest friends said the people who loved him know how to do it.

“North Hall, let’s honor Jason by loving people the way he did,” Pender wrote. “Serve others. Lift people up. Lead with faith. Build relationships. Make connections. That’s the legacy Jason Hughes leaves behind. And it’s a powerful one.”

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CNN’s Sara Smart and Toni Odejimi contributed to this report.