Please join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to the families who suffered tremendous losses in the school shooting yesterday in Ulvade, Texas. Words cannot describe this horrible incident or the pain that that community must be suffering. As a school community, we will mourn their loss and also have different reactions to this extremely frightening experience. Understandably, our students, parents, staff members, administrators, and Board of Education members will react differently depending on their age and prior experiences. It will be important that we all remain supportive and understanding of each other during this challenging time.
As we try to process all of the information that will be released about the incident, the victims, and the perpetrator over the next few days, please consider limiting your family from too much media coverage, including on the internet, television, and social media. Too much exposure can easily trigger fears of attacks happening in our schools and also spread rumors. Please keep your eyes and ears open and share information with us whenever necessary.
When school shootings have occurred in the past, the days and weeks following the event have been stressful because everyone’s anxiety is heightened. You all need to be aware that the district has strong relationships with local and state law enforcement agencies and we have already communicated with them about school safety. As a result, they have increased their presence in and around our schools. They share our concerns about keeping everyone safe. Fortunately, we review our protocols and policies regularly and adapt and revise them constantly to address all possible threats. We also share them with law enforcement and have discussions about the need to be even more vigilant due to the current climate in our nation.
Children’s and teen’s reactions to this school shooting will be strongly influenced by how parents, relatives, teachers, and other caregivers respond to this event. They often turn to adults for information, comfort, and help. Therefore, we are asking you to be mindful of your own reactions. Fretting and spreading rumors on social media is not productive and will be frightening to our students. However, reporting your concerns directly to school officials and administrators will allow us to investigate rumors and threats and determine if they are credible and we will share all information with law enforcement.
As always, we are a stronger school community when we work together. Our community law enforcement, director of School Security, security guards, greeters, and school resource officers are on high alert and will do their best to protect our students. Please do your part by listening to and supporting your own child(ren) and reporting concerns whenever necessary. We all need to take care of ourselves and each other in order to navigate this unsettling time in our nation.
Donna Geidel, interim superintendent of schools