As most of you know, HCS conducted a "Lock-down" drill on January 3rd, 2013, and will more than likely conduct one more drill in the near future. I received a number of e-mails after our drill and wish to thank our parents for their thoughtful questions. I hope to answer many of your inquiries within this communication.
Additionally, many parents shared their appreciation for the pro-active response of the district within the past few weeks. We recognize the value of this and will continue to create as happy and safe a learning environment as possible for our students.
In light of the comments and questions received, I thought parents should be aware of the planning and thought that goes into every aspect of a safety drill process, and the level of communication that occurs before an actual drill. There is an enormous amount of information to consider and many things to weigh and manage in the planning process. We worked closely with our local police department as well as the Madison County Sheriff’s Department. Something as simple as the name of the drill was an important discussion. One parent asked about softening the name to decrease anxiety or lessen the fear generated by this type of drill. We considered this, however, if we have one person in the building that is working with children (e.g.: a substitute teacher, itinerant teacher, etc.) and is not fully aware of our safety protocols, we would need the name to be explicit and to communicate information quickly. Any ambiguity during a drill would be counterproductive to the safety process. We do provide the training necessary to maximize safety in any emergency situation, although a per-diem employee with limited knowledge is a possibility that we would need to consider.
Other parents requested increased information about our drills or additional communication before a drill. Please understand that we are limited with the amount of information that we can or should share about our safety protocols. As we did with this past drill, we will give you some forewarning and will call when a drill occurs to keep you in the loop. Beyond this, we will share limited details. This message will serve as notice that another drill will occur sometime in the winter months.
We invite you to join us for a meeting on the 9th of January at 6:30 p.m. in the HCS Auditorium. If you have any additional questions, we will answer them at that time.
Thank you once again for your partnership in your child’s education. It takes a Village to do what’s in the best interest of all of our students.
Additionally, many parents shared their appreciation for the pro-active response of the district within the past few weeks. We recognize the value of this and will continue to create as happy and safe a learning environment as possible for our students.
In light of the comments and questions received, I thought parents should be aware of the planning and thought that goes into every aspect of a safety drill process, and the level of communication that occurs before an actual drill. There is an enormous amount of information to consider and many things to weigh and manage in the planning process. We worked closely with our local police department as well as the Madison County Sheriff’s Department. Something as simple as the name of the drill was an important discussion. One parent asked about softening the name to decrease anxiety or lessen the fear generated by this type of drill. We considered this, however, if we have one person in the building that is working with children (e.g.: a substitute teacher, itinerant teacher, etc.) and is not fully aware of our safety protocols, we would need the name to be explicit and to communicate information quickly. Any ambiguity during a drill would be counterproductive to the safety process. We do provide the training necessary to maximize safety in any emergency situation, although a per-diem employee with limited knowledge is a possibility that we would need to consider.
Other parents requested increased information about our drills or additional communication before a drill. Please understand that we are limited with the amount of information that we can or should share about our safety protocols. As we did with this past drill, we will give you some forewarning and will call when a drill occurs to keep you in the loop. Beyond this, we will share limited details. This message will serve as notice that another drill will occur sometime in the winter months.
We invite you to join us for a meeting on the 9th of January at 6:30 p.m. in the HCS Auditorium. If you have any additional questions, we will answer them at that time.
Thank you once again for your partnership in your child’s education. It takes a Village to do what’s in the best interest of all of our students.