Dear Broadalbin-Perth community member,
As we return to school today, I know many of us do so with heavy hearts as we think about the 17 people who lost their lives in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14. I have heard from many of you who have expressed concerns about the possibility of a similar tragedy happening in our schools and have asked what we can do to keep our children safe. Please know that as a lifelong member of this community, husband of a B-P kindergarten teacher and proud father of a daughter in sixth grade, my greatest priority will always be the safety of all children, faculty and staff at Broadalbin-Perth.
Over the past several years, Broadalbin-Perth has taken steps to improve the safety of students, staff and visitors when they are in our buildings. We have strengthened our relationships with local law enforcement, and uniformed officers can be regularly seen in our schools, conducting routine patrols and participating in active drills. We have installed more than 100 internal and external security cameras throughout both school campuses to help keep an eye on all activities inside and outside of our buildings. Additional safety measures will be implemented as part of the capital project approved by voters in 2016, including a system that will require visitors to scan their driver’s licenses before they receive temporary badges and access to our school buildings. Lastly, but most importantly, our faculty is committed to making a connection with every child, in all buildings; at the high school, teachers cultivate those connections every day during the advisory period.
The sad reality is that, despite our best efforts, we cannot guarantee the safety of our students and staff. Bad things happen every day. This is the world we live in.
But we should still strive to do better.
I am committed to taking a careful and critical look at everything we do, every system we have in place, to make sure we’re doing everything we can to protect the children of our community when they are at school. But there are a lot of opinions about how best to go about this. It’s important that we hear from you, the students, staff and parents, who are in our buildings every day.
Please consider participating in a Community Conversation about School Safety, starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 28 in the Margaret Robin Blowers Auditorium at Broadalbin-Perth High School. I will be joined by Mike Carney, our district’s director of operations and safety, as well as Fulton County District Attorney Chad Brown and Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino to answer your questions and facilitate a discussion about what more we can and should do to keep our children safe.
In the meantime, please consider talking with your child in an age-appropriate way about being safe at school. Remind them that all school personnel are required to display Broadalbin-Perth ID badges. Students should consider these adults, as well as uniformed law enforcement and emergency personnel, “safe” and should follow directives given by these adults during emergency situations.
Also, encourage your child to talk to a trusted adult – parents, teachers, administrators, and/or law enforcement – if they hear or see any potential concerns or threats in school, in the community or online. This is never easy for children; however, students are among the best sources of information we have to help school staff maintain a safe environment.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to partnering with Broadalbin-Perth to provide our children with a safe, supportive and enriching learning environment.
Sincerely,
Stephen M. Tomlinson
Superintendent of Schools