CCSD 89 families:
As we face another school tragedy, I feel heartbroken and angry. All students should be safe in their classrooms. All students and teachers should come home happy and energized after a day of learning. We must prevent this from happening to any family anywhere.
Safety will continue to be the foundation of our work at Community Consolidated District 89. I want you to know about some of the steps the district has taken to ensure that our schools are as secure as they can be. I also want to share some resources you may need when talking to your children.
Safety in our schools
Last night, I spoke with local police departments who serve our communities. As a precaution, the police provided additional patrols at our schools this morning.
When there is an incident like this, we always review our safety practices in CCSD 89. Additionally, we conduct regular safety training with our entire staff, including teachers and support personnel. We have recurring crisis-planning meetings where the district's leadership team meets with emergency responders to review the latest training methods, share feedback, and run through various scenarios based on national best practices. Throughout the year, police and fire officials conduct announced and unannounced drills in our schools, including active shooter, weather emergency, and fire drills.
We also have experts regularly review the design of our school buildings and school security systems to ensure they provide the safest possible environment for learners.
Supporting your children
Please watch for signs of children who are struggling. Let your children’s questions guide your responses. Try to keep a normal routine and limit the amount of exposure your children have to images or graphic references. Be aware of how you are watching or talking about this event when children are present.
If you are looking for some words on how to discuss these issues with your kids, we have posted resources from the National Association of School Psychologists on our website at www.ccsd89.org/talkingtochildren and here: https://bit.ly/3sSlzqD
Additionally, there are a number of resources on the National Child Traumatic Stress Network: www.nctsn.org
Supporting Uvalde
Speaking up when you have information
Families should have conversations about the importance of speaking up when you see or hear something concerning. Make sure your student understands that they should let you know if they hear about threatening behavior, including words posted online. If you or your student need to report a safety situation, you can contact local police or a school official.
Students can also provide anonymous tips about bullying, threats, or classmates in crisis. Students can text or call the ‘SpeakUp’ safety line at (630) 348-2033 or email speakup@ccsd89.me The “SpeakUp” email address is loaded as an automatic contact in all “ccsd89.me” student email accounts.
Here in CCSD 89, we will continue to do our part to keep children safe at school. We hope that others will join this work to ensure these tragedies never occur again.
We hold all the children of Uvalde and their families in our hearts.
I hope that you and your family have a safe and peaceful summer. Thank you for all you do to support our students.
Dr. Emily Tammaru
CCSD 89 Superintendent
