Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, School Board, and Community Partners,
I'm writing today to acknowledge the impact of yesterday's tragic events at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, upon our school district. An eighteen-year-old walked into the Robb Elementary School and shot and killed 19 students, the teacher, and another adult.
We grieve for the students, staff, and families in Uvalde and keenly feel their loss.
Naturally, there is worry in our school district that something similar might one day happen to us.
This morning we convened our School District's Safety Team and our administrators, counselors, and nurses to discuss the incident and preparedness. Waldo County's Director of Emergency Management, Dale Rowley, was present for the meeting and continues to be a constant source of information and practical help to RSU 71.
We will continue to keep all our exterior doors locked in all schools. We will also continue to test out our radios, and all staff will bring methods of communicating with the school while outside with students.
We have an Emergency Response Plan in place, which is voted on annually by our Board of Directors. In addition, our schools continue to practice a variety of safety drills.
Information about our ALICE training (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) is on the district website (https://www.rsu71.org/parents-students/alice-training-info) under "Parents." It is accessible to families and community members who wish to view or take the training.
Staff (administrators, school counselors, nurses, and others) are well prepared to talk with concerned individuals. In addition, the school counselors have crafted a message to share with teachers for students.
Our students, families, and community partners are tremendous preventative assets to our schools as they communicate any concerning information with our school administrators, counselors, and nurses.
Please feel free to be in touch with the staff and me with questions, information, and concerns.
Sincerely,
Mary Alice McLean
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