Hen Hud Superintendent Offers Reassurances Following Shooting
When a tragic event occurs, it tends to have a rippling effect in communities and schools throughout the nation.
Hendrick Hudson Superintendent of Schools Joseph Hochreiter reached out to district families Wednesday following the school shooting in south Florida that left 17 students and staff dead and at least 15 injured, reinforcing the safety measures currently in place in district schools.
“I want to assure you that the safety of our students is our top priority; our district works continuously to provide a safe and secure school environment for your children,” Hochreiter stated. “This includes our ongoing efforts to refine safety and security procedures, protocols, and infrastructure; working closely with first responders from our various communities; and collaborating with safety/security experts to evaluate and improve our safety plans.”
Hochreiter pointed out each of the district’s five schools maintains a School Emergency Response Team (SERT) which regularly reviews and practices crisis response procedures.
“We all need to work together to address and prevent threats,” Hochreiter stressed. “While the slogan, ‘If you see something, say something’ may be overused, it nevertheless bears repeating, as it represents an essential element in any school safety plan.”
“We would like to remind parents and staff how important it is to maintain open communication with our children—about what they are seeing on television, about how they deal with anger and frustration, and about their relationships with other students,” he continued.
He said the National Association of School Psychologists suggests to parents helping children cope with such tragic news by making time to talk, limiting television viewing and maintaining normal routines.
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