Willard Schools family,
We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families impacted by this tragedy, and the many educators who have been devastated by the loss of their children and colleagues.
All indications are that this is an isolated incident very far away from our schools. However we want to be sensitive to our children and parents that may have questions about these terrible events. If children ask questions, talking to them about their worries and concerns is the first step to help them feel safe and begin to cope with the events occurring around them. What you talk about and how you say it does depend on their age, but all children need to be able to know you are there for them and are listening to them. On our willardschools.net website you'll find a guide provided by the National Association of School Psychologists that might be helpful when talking to children about this crisis.
This tragic event is a stark reminder of the importance of our safety procedures for all visitors to our school campuses. It is important that parents and other visitors follow those procedures and check into the office immediately upon arrival at a school. All vendors, media, and delivery personnel are required to check in as well. All entrances are locked or directly monitored throughout the day. These are just a few of the procedures we use to help ensure that we know who is on campus at all times. Certainly in this day and age we can never be absolutely protected against all circumstances. But we do plan, train, conduct drills, work with local first responders and enforce a variety of procedures to provide a safe environment for our students and staff.
As students attend school this week there may be questions and conversations about this tragedy. Students at all grade levels will likely have heard the news reports. Administrators and faculty in all of our schools have plans in place to help students deal with these events in a developmentally appropriate manner while maintaining our focus on student learning. Our counselors are prepared to talk with any student or staff member about questions or concerns they may have. If you have questions please don't hesitate to contact your school principal or a district office administrator.
As a parent I am heart-broken by these events. Please join me in keeping the families of those involved in this terrible situation in your prayers.
Dr. Kent Medlin
Superintendent
Willard School District
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