December 5, 2021
Dear Shrewsbury Families,
The news of the school shooting in Michigan last week, coupled with the situation Friday at Oak Middle School in response to a bullet being discovered, has understandably created concern and anxiety. I want to provide you with some information regarding our schools’ protocols to prevent violence, and to ask for your assistance in maintaining a safe environment in our schools and our community.
The incident at Oak Middle School remains under investigation. Please note:
- The bullet found was a small caliber bullet, typically used for target shooting with a low-power rifle
- The State Police K-9 search of the school building, including lockers and students’ backpacks, did not discover anything of concern
- There has been no indication of any threat, nor behaviors by any individual(s) that are cause for concern
- If anyone becomes aware of any information at all that could help determine the origin of the bullet, please communicate with the school or the police (see below for specific contact options)
- To provide reassurance, the School Resource Officer from the Shrewsbury Police who is our liaison to Preschool through Grade 8 will be on-site at Oak Middle School throughout the coming week
Over my career in Shrewsbury, our school district’s safety and security practices and protocols have evolved a great deal. While we rightfully examine these more carefully in light of high-profile school shootings (such as Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, and now Oxford, Michigan), each year it is our regular practice to conduct multiple drills with students and staff that are coordinated by school administrators and the School Resource Officers (SROs) from the Shrewsbury Police. Every one of our schools has had at least one “lockdown” drill this year, and some have already had two. Additionally, SPS administrators and representatives from our town’s Police, Fire, and Public Works Departments conduct multiple “table top” emergency response exercises each year, along with reviews of each school building for safety and security issues.
We also know that a critical violence prevention strategy is to have a school environment where students feel they belong, where students who may be troubled are identified for support, and where students, staff, and families communicate concerns if something seems that it’s not right. It is important for our students to have meaningful connections with adults in the school community, where they are comfortable telling a trusted adult if they become aware of something concerning or disturbing. It is also key to have processes in place to identify students who are struggling with social, emotional, behavioral, or mental health issues, especially students who seem troubled or socially isolated. Our schools do this; we also have continued to add more resources, such as additional counselors, and we are continuing to examine our practices regarding our systems of identification and support for students.
We need your involvement and support to promote school safety and security. When school violence occurs, as we know from the Michigan tragedy, often there were warning signs that students or parents knew about. We ask that you follow the “see something, say something” approach by notifying school officials or law enforcement if you become aware of something that could be a concern. This can be done in several ways:
- You can call your child’s school and ask to speak to the principal or assistant principal, or you can send them an email with the information.
- You can send an anonymous tip to the school district using our School Safety Tip online form. This tip form is linked at the very top of every web page on our website.
- You can make a non-emergency call to the Shrewsbury Police Department at 508-841-8577, or you can use the following options to provide tips to the Shrewsbury Police:
a) Submit a tip, which can be anonymous, using the Shrewsbury Police Department’s “See It, Say It, Send It” online tip form
b) Text a tip to the Shrewsbury Police Department at 410-847-7837
c) Download the “See It, Say It, Send It” app and use it to submit a tip to the Shrewsbury Police (the app uses “geofencing technology”)
You can also use the QR codes at the bottom of this message for these options.
We also know that many families in our community own firearms. While it should go without saying, if you own a gun, it is critical to follow all safety measures and to store the weapon safely per Massachusetts law. It is the responsibility of gun owners to take all possible steps to prevent a weapon from becoming part of a tragedy.
I wish that I could give a guarantee that nothing bad could ever happen to our children at school, but unfortunately no one can make such a promise – not for any school, anywhere. I can reassure you that our school district will continue to follow best practices, in a strong partnership with local law enforcement and first responders, in order to reduce the risk of violence at school and to be prepared to respond in the event of an incident. You can contribute to our community’s safety by talking to your children regularly and by being sure to report anything that causes concern to the school or to the police.
Thank you for your continued support.
Respectfully,
Joe Sawyer
Superintendent of Schools
See below for QR codes for contacting Shrewsbury Police
