We are all saddened, shocked, and disturbed by the horrific event that occurred yesterday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Personally, I have not been able to get my mind off what occurred. Last evening I woke up at 2 a.m. and could not get back to sleep for a couple of hours. The whole time I was reflecting on our school district and relating to the shooting in Connecticut. This morning I went out to breakfast and every child I saw made me think about this tragedy. I am sure as parents and educators that this tragedy has impacted everyone in a similar manner.
For any educator and as your school superintendent any event that occurs resulting in injury or loss of life to students and staff in a school setting is our worst nightmare. It is something as superintendent that is an every present concern and an area I am always considering how we can improve safety and security.
One of our first concerns is how this horrific event will impact our students and your children. It will be difficult to escape this news over the next week. With this in mind I am attaching a document that was forwarded to all of the schol districts last evening from the Burlington County Crisis Response Team which provides support and counseling intervention when school districts are confronted with crisis situations. The attached document provides some general guidelines and suggestions designed to assist parents and educators in speaking to their children about an event such as this.
Secondly, our Guidance Counselors Mrs. Kilpatrick and Mrs. Madison will be available to speak to any students on Monday and throughout the week who are expressing anxiety about this event. Therefore, please do not hestitate to contact the school and request that one of the counselors speak to your child(ren) if you feel it would be beneficial or if you would just like to make us aware that your child has been expressing concern.
Our staff will not initiate any discussions about the shooting, however we will closely monitor students and class discussions. If we ascertain that a particular class is expressing concern, the school counselor may go to the classroom and facilitate a discussion. If this occurs we will notify all the parents of the students in that class.
Yesterday's tragedy is a stark and vivid reminder of just how vulnerable schools can be despite all of the security measures that are in place. Our Southampton Schools have many of the security measures that the Sandy Hook Elementary School has. Our staff is trained and we practice lockdowns just like the school in Connecticut. Evidently, the school staff in Saddle Brook did a superb job during the lockdown to protect students. However, despite the efforts twenty students and six staff members lost their life in a span of twenty to thirty minutes.
The reality is that schools can not prevent violence incidents if an individual or group is intent on doing malice to harm and injure others. Security measures are design to deter, minimize access, and slow down intruders so that law enforcement and emergency responders have time to arrive on the scene and intervene.
Our staff must be vigilant in their training on how to respond to emergency situations and adhering to the security protocols we have in place to ensure that we maximize the effectiveness of these procedures. In addition, we are a "school community" and as such you as parents play a pivotal role in assisting us in maintaining a safe and secure environment for your children and our students. You can do so by respecting and following the procedures we have in place. This includes properly identifying yourself and the purpose of your visit to the office staff prior to entering the building and then promptly reporting to the main office to sign-in. In addition to building security their is campus security. I can not emphasize enough the importance of driving slowly, staying off cellphones, parking in designated parking spaces, and only dropping off your children at the designated drop-off areas when you are driving on campus.
Far too often we observe parents speeding, on cellphones, and ignoring signage and drop-off procedures. Our security and safety measures are not designed to make life difficult for you. They are designed to maximize student, staff, and visitor safety. Unfortunately, that sometimes means an inconvenience with respect to time and where you can park. The trade-off is important and necessary however, so please extend your cooperation.
Finally, in the coming weeks let me reassure you that we will redouble our efforts with respect to security measures and training for the staff. This will include reviewing all of the procedures and protocols we have in place to identify where we are vulnerable and how we can enhance safety and security. Please feel free to e-mail me at michael@southampton.k12.nj.us with any suggestions or thoughts you may have with respect to this issue. I have already received some valuable input from several of our staff members.
Michael L. Harris, Superintendent of Schools
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