Salem Schools Enhance Security After Michigan Mass Shooting

SALEM, MA — Salem Superintendent Steve Zrike addressed steps the district has taken to help make schools safer and goals to augment those steps following the recent mass school shooting in Oxford, Michigan that killed four high school students.

Zrike said in a letter to the school community that the district has built a strong partnership with Salem police and Salem fire, added security cameras and installed keyless code entry systems.

He said more cameras will soon be installed, and school security and mass violence protocols will be frequently examined, but that a key way to avoid such tragedies remains to strengthen connections to help alert officials of a potentially troubled student and prevent students from feeling alienated from the school community.

"It is hard to comprehend the senseless violence and devastating loss of human life," Zrike said. "When such an incident occurs, it is important for us to examine whether we are taking all the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of students and staff in our schools."

Zrike said the district has a safety committee that meets monthly for training, policy review, and collaboration with the city's emergency personnel. The committee includes staff from each school, central office personnel, police and fire officials.

"While we can never eliminate risk entirely, we will exhaust every avenue to maximize security," Zrike said. "We are committed to working together to ensure that our schools are safe and inclusive learning environments where all students feel welcomed."

The district urges community members to report any threats — verbal or online — to school counselors, leadership or Salem police.

"We will take all of these threats seriously to ensure the safety of all our students and staff," Zrike said.

Additional cameras are being installed inside and outside of buildings, the internal and external communication system is being expanded and unannounced security audits will be conducted.

"I would be remiss if I did not underscore the most valuable deterrent we have when addressing the potential for school violence," Zrike said. "We must continue to emphasize establishing meaningful relationships with the students and families we serve.

"We have extensive counseling, mental health resources, and social/emotional support that we can offer our students when they are struggling for any reason. If you have any concerns about your child's emotional well-being, we strongly encourage you to reach out to your child's school or the district's student support team as soon as possible."

The support team can be reached at 978-740-124for help at (978) 740-1225 or studentsupport@salemk12.org.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)