NRPS Updates

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

At last evening's school committee meeting the North Reading School Committee approved the school year calendar for the upcoming 2026-27 school year. This document is now posted on our websites under School Year Calendar and can also be found here.

Also, this month our School Safety team and building leaders will present all staff a refresher on the emergency protocols and our district is once again planning a tabletop (discussion-based) exercise with all students and staff where we will engage in a conversation around a developmentally appropriate scenario that would utilize our safety protocols.

For example, younger students would be alerted that there is a “stranger” while older students may discuss more specific details of the danger/threat and engage with their teachers about what they would do with the information that they have at that moment. Students and staff may also come away with questions from the exercise and so our school safety team will collect and review these questions and comments from staff and respond as appropriate as a part of our ongoing safety plan.

If a teacher is absent, they will speak with the students upon their return.

This exercise will take place at each school in the district on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. By design, the exact time is not being shared so that the educators will be able to respond in the moment to the scenario and so everyone may consider what they would do in that particular place and in that specific moment. 

As we have done in the past we are providing advance notice of this exercise to parents, guardians, and caregivers so that they may reach out to their building principal with any questions or concerns and, if necessary, to opt out. This exercise will not involve any drills, evacuations, or simulations and is only a conversation with the classroom teacher or educator. We are well aware of the trauma that can be associated with these discussions and our educators are prepared and will be approaching this in a careful and developmentally appropriate manner.

Caregivers interested in having a discussion with their child(ren) prior to the date of the exercise may find this link to resources from the National Association of School Psychologists useful: https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-safety-and-crisis/school-violence-resources/talking-to-children-about-violence-tips-for-parents-and-teachers

In addition to the efforts of our educators, school administrators, and School Resource Officer (SRO) we are very thankful for the cooperation of the North Reading Police and Fire Departments who are key members of our safety team and who were instrumental in the development of these exercises.

Thank you,

Dr. Daly