Just received this email from the school our kids attend:
Dear Briggs Parents,
Our hearts go out to the families and community of Newtown, Connecticut. Any news like this is deeply saddening, and an event of this magnitude is especially horrifying.
We know that at a time like this, many parents want to know about the school safety and security measures we have in place.
• Safety training & planning: The Springfield School District has an emergency procedure plan that schools practice regularly. We train staff to handle the demands of emergencies, and all schools drill regularly for emergency responses for lockdowns, earthquakes, evacuations and more. Staff and students handle emergencies well when they have practiced what to do.
• Strong relationship with police: Through the School Resource Officers program, we have two police officers working full-time in our schools. Additional patrol officers can respond very quickly to a emergency situation. The school district and Springfield Police work together on all areas of emergency response, including making the best decisions together for student safety.
• Fast, clear communications: During an emergency, the district works with police and school staff to get accurate information about the situation and share it with parents as quickly as possible. We use email, cell phones, websites and other communication to notify parents, students and media with prompt and accurate information. It is critical that parents provide the school with complete and accurate contact information, so we can reach you if there is ever an emergency.
• Continuous improvement: While safety measures already are in place in our schools, we are committed to continuing to find ways to improve. The district is conducting safety assessments at every school, thoroughly reviewing physical security measures and safety procedures to ensure that our school buildings are as safe and secure as we can make them.
Our thoughts are with the families who lives have been forever changed by this devastating event. We know it may have an impact on your family as well. You may find helpful the following suggestions for talking with your children about this tragedy.
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My query back to the school:
Thanks for the info. Hopefully these officers are armed and proficient. In my opinion (and the FBI’s profilers) Gun Free Zones are soft and desirable targets. Due to the saturation of weapons in the US in the interim of any form of effective gun control you can only fight fire with fire as these offenders are not going to comply to gun control laws. A fact in most shooter events is - when seconds count the police are only minutes away.
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