Message from Superintendent Dr. Looney

Published December 13, 2012

Dear Williamson County Schools Parents,

Today a horrible event happened in Connecticut resulting in the deaths of many students and employees of an elementary school. We all hurt for the victims and their families.

Please know that safety for Williamson County students and employees is our highest priority at all times. All campuses have a school safety plan in place which is reviewed, updated and practiced regularly. We have also installed emergency communication systems and digital resources that link directly to law enforcement agencies. In addition, I have been in touch with Sheriff Jeff Long and County Mayor Rogers Anderson who have pledged their support of our proactive approach to school safety.

While today’s incident happened many miles from our district, it is a stark reminder of the importance of our safety protocol including our check-in and check-out process for all students and visitors to campuses. Parents, I ask that you please help us keep our schools safe by following our front office procedures when arriving on campus. Use front entrances only when visiting school and check into the office immediately upon arrival. Also, don't forget to let us know when you are leaving. Media, vendors and other visitors are required to check in as well. All school building entrances are locked throughout the school day and should not be propped open by staff or parents for any reason. These are just a few of the measures we must enforce to help ensure we know who is on campus at all times. While we can never be absolutely protected against all circumstances, we rely on our parents and our trained staff to help us ensure that we enforce our own procedures.

Please continue to help us by being our eyes and ears on campus and in the community, and report any safety concerns you might have to your school principal. WCS will continue to be proactive and vigilant in our efforts to keep students, employees and visitors safe while on school grounds.

Below are some links to other resources that you might find helpful:

PBS Parents
http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/news/talking.html

American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org/topics/violence/school-shooting.aspx

National Association of School Psychologists
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/handouts/revisedPDFs/talkingviolence.pdf