Dear North Reading Staff, Parents, Families, and Caregivers,
I hope that everyone is having a good school year so far and that you’ve had some time to enjoy this beautiful fall weather.
I’m writing this afternoon to share an update on our school safety initiatives that I described in my welcome back letter in late August. Our school safety team, including North Reading Public Schools administrators, the North Reading Police Department, and the North Reading Fire Department, have worked continuously on a plan to improve the safety and security of our students and staff.
In addition to our School Resource Officer, who has a visible role in each school, we have implemented the practice of having an increased presence of patrol officers in our buildings who routinely visit each school. On several occasions I have seen these officers visiting our buildings, interacting positively with students and staff, and providing feedback to our administrative team.
Our school safety team, composed of members of the school, police, and fire departments, continues to meet regularly and we have updated our school emergency operations plans. We have developed a schedule of fire and evacuation drills, as well as ALICE training for staff and students.
While this schedule does not provide the exact dates and times of each drill or training it does communicate a plan for the year and the windows for when this would occur and provide an opportunity for families, students, and staff to better understand our proactive approach for school safety. This will also provide all stakeholders with an opportunity to inquire with specific questions related to these drills and trainings in a timely manner.
ALICE Drill with Administrators and Office Staff: August 2022 (completed)
All Employee ALICE Training Review Sept 2022 (completed)
FIRE Drill #1 (September) (completed)
ALICE Drill School Safety Team planning and debrief (October)
FIRE Drill #2 (October)
ALICE Drill with All Employees (Nov 2022)
ALICE Drill with Students and Staff (November 2022)
FIRE Drill #3 (possible additional scenario*) (Spring 2023)
ALICE Drill with Students and Staff (Spring 2023)
FIRE Drill #4 (possible additional scenario*) (Spring 2023)
*A possible additional scenario would be a tornado watch, evacuation for gas
leak, chemical spill, etc.
As a school safety team we have reviewed the developmental appropriateness of the drills and exercises as well as concerns related to trauma. Our approach will incorporate this awareness and we will practice drills that are sensitive to these concerns.
We will communicate more information at the school level as a follow up to each individual drill so that you are able to have a dialogue with your children and students.
If you have any questions about this upcoming schedule or our approaches please contact your building principal and we will be happy to discuss any questions or concerns.
Finally, as a district we are participating in year three of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Cybersecurity Training program. This grant funded program, offered by the Executive Office of Technology Services & Security, provides training for all North Reading Public Schools educators and staff that has proven beneficial both professionally and personally as we work to ensure data privacy, safety, and security in the cyberworld. I am hopeful that there will be a future program for our families and community as these lessons and modules would be beneficial to everyone.
Thank you for your support in our efforts to keep our schools safe. Have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Daly
