Dear Colleagues, Parents/Guardians, Students, and Community Members,
As we begin our new school year filled with the excitement and energy of students attending new schools, meeting new teachers, and making new friends, the last thing we should have to hear about is the news of another tragic shooting at a school, this time at Apalachee High School located in Winder, GA.
While there are no words that can comfort the families, friends, and students who lost loved ones in yesterday's incident, I did want to provide our families with information regarding the continuous work of developing and implementing the district’s emergency operating procedures. The Parent/Guardian brochure on this webpage outlines the emergency response procedures and communication strategies.
North Adams Public Schools has had a long history of preparedness in collaboration with local emergency response agencies and law enforcement. The Safety Committee meets during the school year to plan drills, review procedures, complete tabletop preparedness activities, and debrief on the implementation of plans, whether for a drill or incident response. In Massachusetts, all school districts are required to submit comprehensive medical, behavioral, and emergency response plans to the state annually. This past summer the district received an Emergency Planning Grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to review, revise, and update existing plans to meet our new grade reconfiguration needs.
In the coming weeks, students will receive training in each of the emergency plan responses, including shelter-in-place, lockdown, evacuation, and relocation, in addition to traditional fire drills that we have all experienced while in school. The purpose of these drills is to practice the dispositions and procedures for a rapid response. These drills help us to work with our community partners to improve our plans that we hope to never actually need.
In addition, the North Adams Public Schools partners with Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization promoting school safety by decreasing social isolation, through Start With Hello Week. There are dedicated mental health professionals in each of our schools and the district implements a research- and evidence-based social and emotional learning curriculum at all grade levels.
According to research, parents/guardians can help their child(ren) promote a safe learning environment by:
Setting clear rules: Set clear rules about acceptable activities; know where your children are, and what they're doing.
Modeling responsible behavior.
Monitoring children's behavior: Watch for changes in behavior, appetite, and sleep patterns, which can indicate anxiety or discomfort. If you're concerned, seek help from a mental health professional.
Talking to children about gun safety: Educate children on how to resolve disputes and avoid violence.
Storing guns safely: Keep guns locked and unloaded, and separate from ammunition. Ask the parents of the friends your children visit how they store their guns.
Awareness of gun safety laws: Familiarize yourself with Child Access Protection (CAP) laws. CAP laws hold adults criminally responsible if they give children unsupervised access to firearms.
While the idea of sending only thoughts and prayers to another community impacted by a school shooting seems disproportionate to the magnitude of trauma they are experiencing, we hope that ours reach the school community of Winder, GA as they navigate the days ahead.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Barbara Malkas, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Jon Slocum
Safety Liaison Coordinator