Superintendent Speaks On Sandy Hook

Dear Richland One Family,

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the children and adults whose lives were lost to a senseless act of violence on Friday, December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Like other Americans and people around the world, we are left asking “why?”

Since Columbine and now Sandy Hook, school and district administrators have to plan for the unimaginable and think about the unthinkable, all while maintaining the focus on teaching and learning, and creating an environment in which our students and staff feel secure. In Richland One, we have school safety/emergency response plans and procedures in place that are reviewed and updated regularly. We have a school resource officer assigned to each of our schools through agreements with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the City of Columbia Police Department. Every school has a computerized visitor check-in and tracking system, and visitors who are cleared through the system must wear a name badge/sticker while they are on campus and sign out before they leave.

There has been heavy media coverage of the shootings over the weekend and that coverage certainly will continue in the coming days and weeks. I have urged our principals to proceed with regular school operations and activities in these last school days before our Winter Break to help maintain a sense of normalcy for our students. However, I also have instructed principals to review their safety/emergency response plans, to remind their staff to be vigilant and report any safety issues or concerns immediately, and to continue to provide excellent customer care. We enlist the community’s support in helping to keep our schools, students and staff safe as well. Richland One schools are the community’s schools.

We will never make sense out of senseless acts like the one that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary, but there is always hope, and this is the season of hope. For parents who need assistance in talking with their children about the tragedy and helping them cope with their emotions, the National Association of School Psychologists (www.nasponline.org) has a wealth of information and resources available online. Our school psychologists, guidance counselors, school social workers and school nurses also can provide assistance as needed.

As we prepare to adjourn for the holidays, let's continue to keep the people of Newtown, Connecticut in our thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Percy A. Mack, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Richland County School District One