Madison Schools Message To Families In Wake Of Texas School Massacre

MADISON, CT —The news of yet another school shooting, this one in Uvalde, Texas that stole the lives of elementary school kids and an educator is horrifically reminiscent of Sandy Hook.

Wednesday, Madison Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Craig Cooke to reached out to families.

Here is his message:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The senseless and horrific events in our country leaves us all wondering if we are doing enough to address safety and well-being in our schools. Yesterday we saw another senseless mass tragedy unfold in our country, this one at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The shooting at Robb comes on the heels of a horrific mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket. I know in talking with students, these events have a significant impact on their lives and they are left with many questions. I’m writing today to let you know we are and will continue to make every effort to support our students. We also know we have the community's support and need that more than ever.

When it comes to building security we have an excellent relationship with Madison Police and have ensured there will be additional staffing and patrols of our schools for the immediate future. Madison Public Schools is committed to the security and safety of its students and staff. We have worked hard, building on previous strong security efforts, and taken the following actions recently:

• Increased security staffing
• Increased and upgraded cameras in and outside our buildings
• Established a new visitor management system and protocol
• Provided keyless entry to building entrances
• Installing single touch dead bolts into classrooms
• Resuming security training of staff

While the above is important, our work is not finished and we will need to continue these efforts. As important is our commitment to ensuring the social and emotional health of our students and community. We have an amazing community asset in Madison Youth and Family Services. We have been partners in providing many services to our student population. This includes some of the Sandy Hook Promise programs as well as other wellness initiatives. As a district, we have made considerable efforts in those areas including the following this year:

• Adding Social Workers to ensure a full-time Social Worker for every building
• Implementing a social/emotional screen for all students K-8
• Conducted signs of trauma training for all faculty
• Resumed Wellness Wednesdays for all students at the High School

The pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues in students and adults and our commitment to continuing our program development is unwavering. If we can produce one quality in our students above anything, for me that would be kindness. As you talk to your student at home about these tragedies, please ensure they know the importance of kindness to others and stress that they always have a caring adult at school to talk to. Our students make many important connections during their time in our schools and all of our staff are available to them and can provide access to a school counselor, social worker, school psychologist, teacher, administrator that can assist them.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to your school administrator or to me directly.

Sincerely,

Craig A. Cooke, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools