ALICE Student Introduction - OHS - 9.21.22
(click here for slides we will use for our first safety lesson of the year)
Hello!
It has been an absolute pleasure to spend the last few weeks with your children. We ended our day today with the most fun Homecoming pep assembly and it felt so good to all be together again...we haven't had one in the gym since 2019! We're excited about the parade, game and dance as well.
As we settle into our new routines together, it is important for us to teach our students our emergency procedures. Drills for responding to emergency situations (including evacuation, shelter-in-place, and lockdowns) are mandated by the state to ensure all children and staff have this important knowledge. For this reason, we will be returning to drills this fall at Oxford High School. We recognize that returning to drills may be difficult for some students, but it's also important our students and staff are prepared and trained as a part of our Oxford's commitment to safety.
We understand and respect that every family, every child, and every staff member, is in a different place in their healing after what our community has endured. We have carefully planned a slow return to drills with the help of a team of mental health professionals. That same team will be available to your students and families as we work through these drills together. Prior to sounding any alarm or performing any drill, we will first have classroom activities with presentation slides, showing our students the emergency tools and equipment in the building and how to use it. This includes the NightLocks and our new Mass Notification System. Experts suggest that these lessons may help to improve your child’s perception of safety by empowering them with the skill set to respond in an emergency.
Please note, our first lesson will take place on Wednesday, September 21, during 7th hour. We have attached the materials that will be shared with your student(s). Please take some time over the next several days to talk with your child about the upcoming lesson. Please encourage your child to reach out for help before, during, or after the exercise, as our mental health team will be checking in on students throughout the building. Contact your child’s counselor if you have specific concerns about their ability to participate in the lessons and drills. Our counseling office has already prepared additional supports to put in place prior to, during and after the drill to ensure students are supported who may have difficulty.
As part of the lesson, students will have an opportunity to submit questions using a QR Code. Those questions will be reviewed by a committee of trained safety and education professionals. In October, we will revisit those questions and answers as part of our second drill. Please begin preparing your family for that now and let us know how best to support you. We are here to help as we continue to take these important steps forward together.
Sincerely,
Dacia Beazley, Principal
Oxford High School staff can be reached at: [email protected]
