It is with deep sadness that we share our heartfelt sympathy to the students, parents, staff and community of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Once again we find ourselves faced with the unbelievable situation the families and this community are facing with the loss of students and teachers who did not survive this senseless tragedy.
While this active shooter situation occurred far away in Texas, we recognize the anxiety that the active shooter situation in Texas may cause our students, family, staff, and community here in Mountain House. We encourage parents/guardians and staff to visit the link here for National Association of School Psychologists website to learn more about talking to children about violence. In addition, or partners at Common Sense Media have provided additional resources for parents and guardians about how to discuss disturbing news with children here: https://tinyurl.com/Common-sense-talking-tips . We also want to remind our community that our district counselor, site-level counselors, and school psychologists are here to support students and families as they respond to students at this time. Our wellness center is also staffed during the day for students to drop-in as they need assistance to process their thoughts and feelings at this time. Online counseling resources are also available through our online Wellness Center at http://mhhscounselingblog.weebly.com/wellness-center-resources.html
Whenever there is school violence, it can also cause fear and anxiety for parents and family members as well. While there is no simple answer to school safety, the District’s administration and Board of Education are committed to student and staff well-being. We take a comprehensive approach to school safety by addressing it in several different ways. One is through creating a safe campus environment, which includes secured gated entries to campus with campus supervisors, administrators and counselors at each gate in the morning, and supervision at the gates in the afternoons. During the school day, there is only one entrance to the campus through the administration building where the front desk is staffed throughout the day. Our use of a visitor management system automatically logs visitors to campus and checks their background before entering campus. We have 3 full-time campus supervisors monitoring campus throughout the day, and a county sheriff helps to patrol district schools during the course of the school day. Each of our schools has a school safety team and school security protocols outlining step-by-step measures to address safety/security concerns. The district maintains a radio communication system that spans the entire district for quick and efficient communication in the event of an emergency. Our district safety committee consistently works with all school sites to create safety plans, schedule safety drills, and respond to emergency situations swiftly.
We also recognize the importance of students to have caring relationships with adults in our schools. In addition to classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, campus supervisors, and other adult staff on our campus, Mountain House High School works hard to create caring relationships with students through our Advisory classes, wellness center programs, counseling services, community partnerships, and volunteers who create caring and trusting relationships with our students. During any emergency situation, these caring adults will always do all that they can to keep our students safe.
Finally, one of the most important actions any of us can take to keep our schools safe is to report instances of potential harm or threats. We encourage everyone, students, parents, faculty, staff, community members, or anyone to report any concerning behavior to the school. If you see something, whether it be in person, online, or any other format, say something. Phone calls will be routed to appropriate school personnel by calling our main number at 209.836.7460. Anonymous reports can also be made at any time through our anonymous tips link on our school website at mhhs.lammersvilleschoodistrict.net.
We take our responsibility to educate and keep our students and staff safe very seriously. We truly believe in the power of the relationships that we build here in the Mustang ‘Ohana. Please take care of each other during this difficult time.
