In a Letter, Santa Cruz School District Says Schools are Safe and Counsels Parents

Dear School Community,

By now you may have heard of the tragic shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. At this time, the media is reporting fatalities among students and staff. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of that community.

This incident may be very frightening for some of your children and for yourselves. Whenever we have an incident such as this we turn to thoughts of our own safety. We want to reassure you that we have structures and plans in place to prevent and respond to such a crisis. We drill regularly at school in lockdown procedures and review our intruder protocols at least twice a year. We work closely with our police, fire and other emergency responders to ensure our plans are the best they can be.

You can assist your children who may be frightened by this event by listening carefully to their thoughts, correcting misinformation as appropriate for their age and reassuring them that you and their school are prepared in case of an emergency.  In addition, we highly recommended that you limit their exposure to media coverage of this tragedy. It is very difficult for children and even teens to view repeated coverage.

Our school counselors are prepared to assist students or parents who may be especially having a difficult time with this tragedy. Please come in and talk with them.

Such an event reminds us of the preciousness of our children. We want you to know we hold their safety and well being as our highest responsibility.

 Sincerely,

 Eileen Brown