44°
Dear Chappaqua Families,
We are all saddened by the tragic events that unfolded in Newtown, Connecticut, earlier today. Schools should be safe havens where joy fills the hallways and classrooms.
Let me reassure you that we have comprehensive emergency plans for each school and at the district level. Each building has a safety team that meets regularly and participates in ongoing training during the school year. There is a police liaison on each safety team. Emergency drills are scheduled during the school day, and school personnel are familiar with our safety procedures.
In addition, we have a close working relationship with the New Castle Police Department to ensure safety and security at our schools, and our custodial staff is vigilant in keeping the buildings secure. Today, for example, the New Castle Police Department increased patrols in the community and on each school's campus. In addition, today we assigned additional staff to monitor the front entrances at each of our schools.
We expect continual news coverage of the tragic events in Newtown over the weekend. Please be mindful of the impact this news coverage may have on your children. Reassure them that our schools work very hard to keep them safe every day. Should you or your child have any concerns, please contact your building principal. We have trained faculty and staff available to provide necessary support to students. As a resource, we share the following link from the National Association of School Psychologists. It provides some very helpful and appropriate information about how to speak with children during times like this: http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/talkingviolence.pdf
There are no words to describe the shock that so many of us are feeling as we learn more about this incident. Please know that we are committed to providing safe and secure schools for all of our children.
Sincerely,
Lyn McKay
Superintendent of Chappaqua Schools
You can find more of The Daily Voice's coverage of Friday's tragedy here.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Chappaqua and receive free news updates.
