A message from Superintendent Stephanie Anello in response to the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida:
Dear Antioch Families, Staff, and Community,
The recent senseless shooting at a Florida school has left our school community devastated as we see our own children, students, and colleagues in the faces and stories of the victims. In light of this horrific tragedy, I wanted to take a moment to let you know that the Antioch Unified School District is committed to the safety of our students, staff, and community.
Every school in the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) maintains a safety plan unique to their school and in accordance with the California Education Code (32280-32288). These comprehensive plans are updated annually and then reviewed and approved by each school’s Site Council and administration. These plans are kept on site and at the District office.
Additionally, the District maintains a comprehensive emergency preparedness and crisis response plan that is annually reviewed and updated. We are also thankful and proud of the strong relationship we have with the Antioch Police Department and other local public agencies that help ensure our schools and community are a priority.
This and other tragedies like it remind us that we must continue to build and strengthen our connectedness with one another. We must have difficult conversations with ourselves and with each other to ensure we are attuned to worrisome or suspicious behavior that may lead to violence. We must vigilantly report such behavior to law enforcement or school authorities. Additionally, we must talk to our children to ensure that when they see or observe behavior that is concerning they report it to a trusted adult.
As human beings, we are inextricably bound by tragedies that hurt others and it is easy to feel hopeless and helpless. However, it is at times like these that our children need us the most to maintain normal and predictable routines as much as possible and to listen to their concerns and feelings. The National Association of School Psychologists also suggests limiting children’s use of media to lower their stress and to maintain balance and perspective.
In closing please know once again that student safety is a top priority in the Antioch Unified School District and that tragedies such as the recent Florida school shooting further strengthen our resolve to ensure that our safety plans and emergency crisis response plans and training are as effaceable as possible.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
With sincerity and appreciation,
Stephanie Anello
Superintendent
12 comments
With some many attacks on schools, quite a few of my friends have taken their kids out of public schools and put them in private schools or are home schooling them!
Private schools can be shot up as well. It’s a sad world we live in
Private schools can be shot up, but it’s alwayst he public schools. Private schools are safer. For now.
Hopefully the safety of private schools will stay that way.
Unfortunately we live in an American society where are young people have no idea how to cope with their anger so they lash out in horrific violence.
A common denominator for most of these school shooters appear to be individuals who come from dysfunctional families or they have a fascination with violent video games and want to experience them in real life. Very sad!
GG, video games have been proven time and time again NOT to be a factor. Where do you get your research, from the mid-1990’s? And they come from privileged homes, how else can get afford assault rifles when normal kids can barely get a hand me down Honda? Fascinating how none of these shooters is brown too.
Additionally, check your facts. The kid from the most recent Florida shooting was an orphan who worked at the Dollar Store and have moved in with a friend from school after his mother died last year.
After you get your feet out of your mouth after pulling your head out of your butt I suggest you know what you are talking about before you engage in a fact based conversation. It’s morons like you who puts our Nations security at risk!
My previous comment was published.
My facts comes from years of experience as a law enforcement officer dealing with criminals who have shot and/or murdered innocent citizens. Is that enough for you Mr. Know-It-All?
Waiting for a response smart guy! I guess you suffer from selective amnesia because you choose to ignore the case about the black man that murdered the officers in Dallas, the black shooter that killed several officers (including a black officer) in the south, and the TWO black shooters that murdered multiple innocent people in the Washington D.C.
Get your facts straight before you start having diarrhea of the mouth!
We need guns for teachers, not basic supplies they’ve been asking for years like pencils and paper. Recess should be replaced with tactical drills, and field trips with the shooting range.
We need guns for teachers, not basic supplies they’ve been asking for years like pencils and paper. Recess should be replaced with tactical drills, and field trips with the shooting range. Thoughts and prayers work for children lost, not guns lost come on folks.
Belshaw Elementary school had a fence boundary with access a small car can drive through to get on campus. You could walk into the school unannounced. Then one day the access was gated with the ability for a bicycle to pass. The school asked parents to sign a visitor log. Then, a few years later, the gate was chained and only children could pass between the gate bars. The school installed campus cameras. And a few years after, the high school started an on campus police presence. Today, parents need a background checks to chaperone students on trips. The evidence is clear our society has decayed to a point we turned our schools into a modified prison model. And I read here we need to arm our school staffs to protect themselves and our children. Why did this happen? We had less gun laws and more freedom to own guns when Belshaw was an free and open campus. Guns is not the reason so keep searching for why.
The United States is the only country in the world where school shootings is an issue, and the only country in the world with such an obsession/fetish with guns. It’s easier to get a gun than health care in this country. The LA county jail is the largest mental health institution in the country for goodness sakes! We would rather invest in prisons and jails for the mentally ill than rehabilitation and treatment. The NRA and Koch have more control of our politicians than beneficent donors. Stop acting like gun control isn’t the issue because since they’re so plentiful, they’ll always get into the wrong hands; it’s not just your friendly cowboy neighbor with one, it’s also your neighbor with some screws loose. At least gangsters with dirty guns only target each other, they’re not the ones shooting up schools with registered guns after a weak background check.
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