Good afternoon, this is Principal Walles. I’m pleased to share that today went as well as we could have possibly hoped for. We were so glad to see about 80% of our students back in the building today. We know what happened last week will affect each student differently, and today, we were focused on checking in with all of our students to see how they’re feeling and where they are in this process.
Below are details about how today went and what students can expect tomorrow. These details will be sent out in Backpack as well.
During first period today, mental health specialists provided a lesson and resources to all students. Any student who was not here today will be able to participate in that lesson tomorrow. We will be on a regular schedule. We will ease back into learning while also working with students individually or in small groups as they continue to need support. Our process for students entering the building tomorrow will be the same as it was today, and each student will pass through the hand-held metal detector. This is simply a measure to reassure students that they are safe within the building. There will continue to be a strong presence of district personnel, counselors, mental health specialists, and law enforcement on our campus tomorrow.
Starting this Wednesday at 3:30 pm, the district will have mental health specialists available at the school to support parents in addition to the students.
Additionally, because it’s important that everyone has an accurate account of what happened, I want you to be aware that the school district has posted a summary of what occurred on the district’s website. There is a note at the top letting readers know what is described since we know that everyone is still processing the trauma of what occurred. Again, the summary is so everyone can have an accurate account of what happened, and it’s available if you need it.
I want to thank each one of you for helping to make sure your students were prepared to come to school today so we can support them and work toward healing together.