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We continue to be saddened by the continual and evolving landscape of safety in schools. We all see the increase in violence in schools in the media but that only shares the most intense violence nationwide and it is easy for all of us to have short attention spans and not stay vigilant taking the measured steps to continually increase the safety of our students, staff, and families.
This page is a repository of some communications about our philosophy, resources, and frequently asked questions about our policies and procedures. We intentionally do not give schedules or actual plans as part of our safety protocol. It is said that the only safer place for a child than their home is their school. At Maclay, we intend to work continually to make that a reality.
Below is a letter that was sent out to our community that provided proactive measures and our commitment to keeping our campus safe as possible.
I’m reminded of a teaching of author Roy Bennett, “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” Not many things give me comfort when I see the evil some people are capable of. I know we must spend time in that place, looking into the darkness to understand it, but we must refocus quickly on what we can do about it. This is how I find the available peace in times the we witness violence in schools, I take action. To that end, I wanted to reiterate our continued commitment to expanding our safety and security mindset and notify you of actions we have recently taken and our continued attitude toward school safety.
The last time I mentioned safety and security I was sharing information about our expert guest evaluators and trainers on campus from Holdfast Security. Rob Chadwick, Holdfast Security’s owner and his team were exactly what we needed. They spent two days on campus and facilitated several conversations working with us on both making sure that each faculty and staff member was equipped with the knowledge and skills to make key decisions when called upon as well as identifying areas we could improve in our physical safety devices and training. We have already begun changing items around campus and preparing for others to put in place over the next few months and years. One message Rob gave to the parents who came to the evening session was the inverse relationship between security and convenience. We will all need to prepare for some additional inconvenience as we implement some new protocols.
After working with Rob and his team, we have prioritized their recommendations we are tackling. You will already notice new fencing at the middle school as we continue our eventual completion of a fully gated academic village on our campus. We have many guests on our campus, and this will allow for better access control. While mentioning access control, our main goal will be to minimize the locations where one will be able to enter the ‘academic day’ campus. Each division will have its access points, but these will be monitored, and, in most cases, you will need to be ‘buzzed in’.
The next area we are focusing on that you will notice is the introduction of radio-frequency badges for access. We are working through the details of introducing this protocol. The last area of focus is the area of the gatehouse and campus access. There are a few questions we have to answer regarding long-term changes to the Maclay entrance, but it would be beneficial to move the gatehouse further away from the road, present more options for stacking and parking outside of the gate, and provide two incoming lanes. One lane could be for those with a preapproved badge, and the other for guests who require screening for check-in. There are other modifications we are making around campus, but these above are the ones you will most likely notice. Thank you for your patience and support as we work to plan, fund, and launch these new aspects of our safety and security strategy.
Beyond current security protocols, we make every effort programmatically and culturally to create a supportive community that would, we hope, serve to identify any individual who might be a risk either to himself/herself and/or to others. Specifically, our student/faculty ratio of 9:1 and our internal review procedures provide an environment in which each and every child is known, loved, and regularly assessed, both in terms of their academic and social development.
Finally, perhaps more than any steps we can take as a school, we rely on our families and parents to work with us as we support and protect our community. We expect that parents and guardians will remain vigilant regarding their child’s mental health and affect — both in person and online. We also want to remind any families that have firearms in their households to keep them safe and secure at all times.
More than anything we do, we are focused on the safety of our students and faculty in all divisions. We maintain an open-door policy and welcome information, concerns, and feedback from all in our community.
Thank you for your continual support and trust.
James
Reassuring children that they are safe and making time to talk are just a few suggestions for helping students cope with violence in their local community and wider world. The following resources offer age appropriate suggestions for teachers and parents in supporting children as they process traumatic events.
15 Tips for Talking with Children About Violence Color in Colorado
5 Tips for Talking to Your Child About Violence and Tragedy Health Partners
Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event Child Mind Institute
How to Talk to Children About Difficult News American Psychological Association
How to Talk to Children About Tragedies National Council on Family Relations
How to Talk to Kids About Violence Child Development Institute
How to Talk to Your Child About the News Kids Health
How to Talk With Kids About Tragedies & Other Traumatic News Events Healthy Children
Lessons for Restoring Hope and Dignity United Federation of Teachers
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers National Association of Schools Psychologists
Talking to Kids About Fear and Violence Mental Health America
Talking to Kids about Tragedies in the News Coalition to Support Grieving Students
Tips for Parents on Talking to Children Exposed to Violent Events Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia