Dear Shrewsbury Families, Colleagues, & Community Members,
Like you, I am deeply saddened and angered by the news of yet another school mass shooting that took the lives of innocent children and educators, this time at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Our hearts go out to the Winder community as they mourn the deaths of their classmates and teachers.
I ask that you read the rest of this message as updated information about our approach to school safety and security. Please remember that the most important things we can do to keep our schools safe are 1) to ensure that all of our students have a connection to and sense of belonging in their school communities, with support for their social, emotional, and mental well-being; and 2) to report anything that concerns you about someone who is acting or communicating in ways that could be threatening or otherwise seems "off." Please see below for specific ways to share concerns with your school or with the Shrewsbury Police.
You can always access school counselors and psychologists on your school’s website by clicking on “mental health and wellness resources,” or call the school and you will be directed to someone who can help.
Please remember:
- These incidents are disturbing to all of us, and it is easy to personalize them. It is natural to feel a range of emotions when we see the news of tragedies where people, including young people and school staff, are senselessly murdered, and it is normal to have thoughts of “What if?” regarding our own community. While this is scary to think about for all of us, as adults we need to do our best to be calm and reassuring with our children, rather than transmitting fear and anxiety.
- Social media can amplify fear. Many students have viewed the news of this latest mass murder through a variety of online platforms. I strongly encourage parents and caregivers to be aware of your child’s media exposure regarding this incident and to speak to your children about it. Children process violent events in different ways and can be affected by them even when they occur elsewhere. Please click here for resources regarding how to talk with your children about violence and mass shootings.
- The Shrewsbury Public Schools, Shrewsbury Police Department, and Shrewsbury Fire Department have been working together for many years in an effort to make our schools safe. We, along with our community partners, are constantly reviewing our safety plans and procedures, conducting drills, and making improvements in an ongoing manner. We continue to seek out and implement best practices – last year, a consulting firm with expertise in school safety and security visited all of our schools to conduct an audit of our approach, and provided a report. You can view a summary of their findings here.
- Our staff and students prepare for possible emergencies. In addition to traditional fire drills, our students and staff participate in lockdown, lockout, and shelter in place drills that could apply to intruder or active shooter incidents, as well as other scenarios such as a tornado threat. We utilize the Standard Response Protocol as a framework for our approach to emergency response.
- The most important school safety work we do is creating caring, respectful school environments where students are supported and feel comfortable reaching out to adults. We know that the potential for school and community violence is minimized when students feel connected to their school community, when they have access to support for their emotional well-being, and when students who perceive something is not right with a situation tell a trusted adult. We actively work to create these kinds of school cultures.
- If you see something, say something. Please see the information below regarding how to contact our school district or the Shrewsbury Police Department if you believe something is not right and might pose a threat to our community.
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.
Text a tip to the Shrewsbury Police Department at 410-847-7837. You can use the QR code below as well.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Please do reach out to your child’s school if you feel they need assistance.
Respectfully,
Joe Sawyer
Superintendent of Schools
