School Superintendent: 'No One Ever Thought It Would Happen at Their School'

In an open letter to the students and families of the Ocean City School District written on Sunday, Superintendent Kathleen Taylor invites any student or parent who is upset about Friday's school shootings in Newtown, Conn., to speak with counselors provided by the district.

Taylor also outlines some of the measures the district has taken to protect student safety. The district has cooperated with the Ocean City Police Department and local law-enforcement agencies to stage drills that simulate an emergency like the one in Newtown.

On its website, the district has posted information on "helping children" and "coping with trauma" (see attached PDFs).

Taylor's letter is as follows:

12/16/12

Dear School Community:

I think we are all in shock over the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Watching the news over the weekend, I listened to a news reporter say that there is one thing in common with all of these school shootings. That commonality is that no one ever thought it would happen at their school.

In response to this tragedy, posted on our District webpage is information on how parents can talk to their children/students about tragedy and trauma. We will also have our counselors available for our students and parents to talk with them about questions or concerns they may have. If your child needs someone to talk with or is upset/scared about this event, please refer them to a counselor. Please also assure your child that we have safety measures in place to protect them while they are in school.

For your information, please know that we have taken many, many measures to protect our schools and those inside them. In fact, this summer we placed security cameras in both the Primary and Intermediate Schools and upgraded the High School security camera system. In addition, we require visitors to be buzzed in at both Primary and Intermediate Schools and we have a security personnel stationed by the High School front door. As you know, we conduct a different type of security drill once a month at each school. We practice safety every month.

Please be reminded that we do have security procedures in place for visitors, parents, residents and community members for entering and leaving our schools. Please know that our security measures are in place for the protection of your children. Therefore, please follow our protocols and reinforce with your child about following these procedures. We need everyone to be compliant and adhere to these safety measures – at all times.

Furthermore, we will follow any other safety measures required by the Department of Education or the Ocean City Police Department as a result of this tragedy. We will also continue to update our emergency management protocols and training our staff on these procedures. We will do all that is reasonable to keep our students, staff and schools safe.

Please keep the Sandy Hook victims and families in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you,

Dr. Kathleen Taylor
Superintendent of Schools