Last night was a difficult night for all of us who listened again to the news of the senseless act of violence perpetrated against children and teachers at a Texas elementary school. As Co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise, Nicole Hockley shared, “this is not the way it is supposed to be,” yet it is. These events hit very close to home for me. I went to school in Newtown, Connecticut, and my step father taught in the middle school at the time of the Sandy Hook shooting and my cousin had children in the Sandy Hook school at the time. Thankfully, they survived that senseless act.
It is always difficult to find the right words to say to deal with the pain and discomfort that over comes when we learn of these horrific events. What I can do is make sure that students and staff have access to supports to help them process what has happened. It is also vitally important that we as a community are empathic and understanding of one another. That we take the time to listen and acknowledge each other and that we reach out when we sense that someone is in need of help. If you are feeling overwhelmed by this act of violence, please reach out to your schools counselor or social worker for support.
I take the safety of the children and staff of our community seriously and understand the importance of the measures in place to help minimize the risk that surrounds us. We work closely with public safety to ensure we are doing everything we can to make our schools both safe and inviting places for learning. Our schools deserve to be places of wonder and exploration.
Here are some resources you can use to help support your children as we yet again try to deal with senseless acts of violence in our schools:
Respectively,
Mike Zboray, Superintendent of Schools
