Cabrillo School District Superintendent Addresses School Safety

It's been a couple of weeks since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14 horrified the nation and left parents questioning how they can protect their children. Still, for many the tragedy is fresh on their minds, especially with the holiday break coming to a close and school starting up again in the New Year.

School is back in session for Cabrillo Unified School District students on Tuesday, Jan. 8, and many parents, teachers and students may be feeling some anxiety about returning to school when it comes to their safety. But rest assured that the Cabrillo Unified School District administrative team is planning to review their emergency response plan on Jan. 7 to ensure the safety of their students and employees as their No. 1 priority.

"We have an emergency response plan that we update annually," said Roehrick, "and we review the plan with our administrative team each year. Given the tragic events in Newtown, CT, we will review the plan again on Jan. 7 with our principals with the expressed purpose to ensure our plans are as comprehensive as possible." 

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Department has offered to review CUSD's plan as well.

"In addition, we are looking at our school sites with new eyes to determine what we can do to improve safety," said Roehrick. "We will be meeting with our various school communities this spring as part of our Measure S planning, and we will be sure to address any safety issues." 

Here is the letter Roehrick sent home to all families on Dec. 14 after the Connecticut shooting:

Parents and Guardians of the Cabrillo Unified School District:

Today’s tragic events in Newton, Connecticut are too difficult to fully comprehend. However, it is important to know that our teachers, support staff, and administrators take the safety of our students as our highest priority. To this end, we have developed a comprehensive emergency response guide. The guide is posted to our district website for your reference. We have also been in close contact with the Sheriff’s Department throughout this day. They provided extra patrols at each school to further ensure the safety of our students.

Our action’s today have included extra attention to our students and how they are responding to the news. We have our counselors and psychologists available to support any student who may need additional support and comfort. As students process this information, it may be that this support is needed in the coming weeks. Our staff will be there to support them.

It is important that we work together to address any emerging or lingering needs this tragedy holds for our community. We committed to do so. Please contact your child’s school office if you feel your child needs to meet with one of our professionals. Also, feel free to contact me if you believe I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Tony Roehrick, Ed.D.
Superintendent

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