South Lake Superintendent Responds to School Shooting in CT

Pamela Balint, Superintendent of South Lake Public Schools, posted a letter on the district's Facebook page addressing parents of students and the concerns that many have about school safety in the wake of the tragic shooting at a Connecticut elementary school today.

Here is the letter in its entirety:

December 14, 2012

Dear Parents and Community Members,

Many of you have been hard at work today and may not have heard the news about a school shooting in Connecticut. A gunman entered an elementary school and killed 26 people, including 18 children.

We grieve with the families and staff in Connecticut. It is difficult to understand why these things happen.

Please know that we take school safety seriously in South Lake Schools. I am confident that we have created school environments that are as safe as possible. We keep our doors and windows locked; people cannot just walk into our schools but must be buzzed in. We have a Police liaison officer and a close relationship with the St. Clair Shores Police Department. Each of our schools has a safety and crisis plan that they revisit throughout the year.
I do know that all of these efforts are for naught if we do not remain vigilant. Every day we all must continue to do everything we can to protect our students and staff members.

We have and will continue to pay attention. We will continue to prioritize safety by doing simple things like keeping our doors and windows locked, making sure we pay close attention to people who want to enter our buildings, and watching and reporting suspicious behavior.

All schools should be a place where our students are safe. Working together, our community and our schools, we can continue to build safe schools and a safe community.

Very Sincerely,
Pamela Balint