A Message from Superintendent XYZ

A Message from Superintendent XYZ

In the days following the February 14 tragedy in Parkland, Florida, I am aware that students, teachers, administrators, and parents all over the country are struggling. We are struggling with fears and anxieties about the possibility of such a thing happening in our town, in our school, to our children. Yes, I am painfully aware that our children are asking, “Could this happen to me?” Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that it could never happen in any school in the country. Therefore, we must empower ourselves in all of the ways available to us to prevent and/or protect against such events occurring here.

Parents, please continue to talk to your kids about how to stay safe and keep others safe. Make sure they know to have the courage to talk to you or to an administrator, teacher, or counselor if they see or hear anything from other students or on social media that is concerning or threatening. In nearly all cases of school violence, someone knew something about the perpetrator’s intentionsbefore it actually happened. If kids feel anxious or fearful about coming to school, encourage them to talk about it with you or a trusted adult at school. It is not a weakness to be anxious or fearful; it is a normal reaction, and talking about it helps far more than keeping it bottled up. We are sharing a resource from the National Association of School Psychologists which can help parents and teachers with talking points for these types of conversations with students.

Teachers and administrators, please continue to be vigilant as well. Encourage kids to report any bullying or threats. Know that when we have lockdown drills, many students are anxious and fearful. They never hear about a fire in school, so fire drills are routine. They now hear almost weekly about a school shooting somewhere, so every drill has the potential to create anxiety. Teachers and administrators arealso anxious. They are the ones responsible for keeping the children safe. They must know and practice the appropriate protocol for a given situation that helps keep students as safe as possible under the circumstances.

Some students may talk to parents or school staff about what they can do to make schools safer. Students in some communities are planning protests against gun violence. We know that the issue of guns in our society is a controversial and divisive issue. We will neither encourage nor prevent student participation in such activities. We will strive to keep school as normal as possible, and to discourage activity within school that creates conflict. We encourage parents to talk with their children about the right to protest, and about how they will respond to requests to participate or how they will respond to those that choose to do so.

We have taken school safety very seriously in our school district. We practice lockdowns, and when appropriate, initiate lockdowns in response to circumstances in the school or the community. We have school resource officers in our schools, and we collaborate with the police and other area law enforcement agencies and school districts to make sure we all use the same protocol and that our practices in emergencies are based on the best and most recent research. We do not share specific strategies publicly, because to do so could inform someone with ill intent how to circumvent our responses. If a parent or child has a specific question about our practices, we may be able to answer that question privately.

Together, we can help diminish the risk of a tragedy occurring in our community, and we can help ensure that we are prepared to respond appropriately if it ever does.

Sincerely

XXXXXXX

Superintendent