Mar Lee School responds to heightened security concerns in wake of national tragedy

The following letter was sent to the Mar Lee community by the Superintendent, Randy Davis.

December 20, 2012
Dear Parent/Guardian,

​This past week, following the horrific event in Newtown, CT, has been one of shock, sadness, and concern for our nation. I know you join me and the world in keeping the families and the innocent lives affected at Sandy Hook Elementary in our thoughts and in our hearts.

From all reports, the elementary school administrators and teaching staff made heroic efforts in following their lockdown procedures to keep their students safe; in many ways at their own peril. We honor our colleagues and their sacrifice. Without their efforts, many more young lives could have been lost.

This week we, like every other school district in America, have been thinking through the current safety measures we have in place and whether more needs to be done in securing our building. We have completed our walkthrough at Mar Lee and audited our procedures and protocols. Incidents like Sandy Hook create an increased awareness of our need to be mindful and focused at all times to the safety and security of our teaching and learning environment.

​You will notice upon returning from the holiday break some subtle, but important practices in our building that need your support. Our staff will be wearing school district IDs during the school day. We will continue to keep external doors locked for entrance from the outside, except for the main entrance doors that are monitored for visitors. We will continue to study the east entrance and annex to create a more secured and monitored situation. Also, every visitor to our buildings while classes are in session must follow our existing procedures to check in at the office for a visitor's pass. We realize these measures can be a bit inconvenient, especially for those who routinely visit our school. We are asking for your patience and cooperation.

​If you have any questions, or need support in working through your concerns in the aftermath of this recent tragedy, please don't hesitate to contact our school administration or our school counselor. Incidents like Sandy Hook are stark reminders of the evils in this world. They also serve as reminders for us all to be ever vigilant. We will be doing just that. As always, thank you for your continuing support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Randy Davis
Superintendent