Cedar Falls Schools Respond to Newtown Tragedy

Safety is the school district's top concern, Cedar Falls School District Superintendent Mike Wells told parents in a district-wide email sent after Friday's .

The tragedy took the lives of 26 people, 20 of them first graders ages six and seven.

"We all continue to grieve over the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School as well as other tragedies in our community," Wells said. "One thing we all hear when a mass shooting is reported is that no one ever expects the event would ever happen in our community or school."

In the hopes that it never will, on Monday, Gov. Terry Branstad called on school districts across Iowa to examine their safety procedures.

Wells said Cedar Falls' crisis plan is regularly reviewed and updated by the District Safety Committee, which includes representatives from the fire and police departments.

He said each school in the district has a building-specific plan and a response team that will be activated in the event of a crisis.

The district uses ConnectEd notification system to communicate in the case of weather or other emergencies. ConnectEd contacts families through cell phone calls, land line calls, and email. Basic information about this is located at: http://www.cedar-falls.k12.ia.us/parents.

"We will continue to improve our safety plans and incorporate new procedures as needed to keep our students and staff safe," Wells said. "Please help us by reporting any safety concerns you may have."

Existing safety procedures have been used in the recent past in Cedar Falls.

Director of Secondary Education Dan Conrad said Cedar Falls schools have been in lockdown several times in the last few years, often due to inclement weather and once due to a nearby gas leak. Most recently, he said, the high school was put in "shelter in place," which means the outside doors are locked to prevent people from entering.

That incident occurred last year when a student posted something on Facebook that could have been interpreted as a possible threat, Conrad said. Since the student was absent that day, the outside doors were locked until the student was located and no threat was determined.  

"Fortunately, nothing transpired in any of the other instances as well," he said. "Any time a situation arises that may trigger some sort of action like this, parents are notified."

Read more:

Mike Wells' full letter to parents.

How to Help Families Affected by Newtown School Shooting

Iowa State Psychologist: How To Talk to Your Kids About Connecticut Shooting