Dear Hillsboro School
Community,
There are not enough ways to
describe the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown,
Connecticut. My thoughts and prayers are with their entire school
community as they cope with this unimaginable loss.
As parents and educators we
have to try to explain events to our children that we never could have
imagined. I know many parents are wondering how to support their children in
times like these. Today’s 24-hour news and internet stories provide us with greater
accessibility than ever. This means that undoubtedly our children are seeing
and hearing what is happening but it also means that we have access to great
resources to help us in times like these. The USA today had a Facebook posting
of a chat with UCLA psychologist, Catherine Mogil, shortly after Friday’s
tragedy. In reading through the chat there are several great comments. Among
those were the comments by the Mayo Clinic which said that as parents we need
to “limit exposure to distressing television reporting. We need to be informed
but we don’t want to overload on the disturbing images. Those images can really trouble children. Also, the
reporting is often unfiltered. Parents should be wary and set some parameters
about how much news is in the home. A good second option is reading print
stories and then explaining it to their children. This method is not quite as
upsetting.” Additional resources that may be helpful are: The American Psychological Association, The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,
The National PTA and The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Each
of these has websites with information that can be valuable.
As the superintendent of the
Hillsboro Schools, I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on our own
practices. Each day we have staff available for students who need to talk.
School counselors Kelli Sullivan and Lindsay Horvatin are great resources for
students and families who would like to talk. We also have school psychologist,
Eric Auel, and building principals, Greg Zimmerman and Cara Wood, available to
answer any questions. It is likely that as parents you will also feel
comfortable talking to the teachers your child may have. We will continue to
work to establish warm and supportive relationships with your children and
provide them an opportunity to speak to someone if they feel the need.
Thank you for trusting us
with your children every day. Please know that keeping your children safe is
the single most important piece of our work at school. The building
offices will continue to be the only point of entrance to school during the
day, and we will continue the sign-in process for visitors.
As for district policies and
procedures regarding safety, please know that we will continue to evaluate our
safety plans and work with the Hillsboro Police Department to do the best we
can to ensure your child’s safety.
Please do not hesitate to
call the school to speak to any of the staff listed above as they are ready to
provide help and support in any way that they can.
Respectfully,
Curt Bisarek
Superintendent
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