In a letter to the community, Trussville School Superintendent Pattie Neill said that she has received hundreds of emails regarding increased school safety
. She went on to say that she was addressing the issue in a mass email because individual responses wouldn’t be possible due to the volume of comments she had received.
“I am honored to work in a concerned community and I understand the urgency in hearing from the school administrators with our local response to a national event,” Neill said. “I have personally never imagined such an evil force that invaded Sandy Hook Elementary School, but I do know it could happen anywhere and we need to be prepared.
“All school administrators and teachers share your concern about school safety in light of the horrific tragedy that took place in Connecticut. We are all on the same page when it comes to protecting our precious children.”
Neill said the following steps would be taken on Monday:
1) Schools will be on a partial lock down, which means that all exterior doors will be locked and it will be business as usual inside the building. Each principal will be monitoring class flow from exterior buildings to the main building.
2) I spoke with Mayor Melton and Lt. Bridges today and a police officer will be visibly present at all school campuses, including Paine. A new officer and Lt. Bridges will arrive at the Paine campus at approximately 7:15 a.m. Monday morning.
3) School crisis teams will assemble as planned to field questions and concerns from students, teachers and parents. We want everyone to feel safe and know that we care.
“Individual school safety plans were reviewed in administrative team meetings in September, October and December of this school year and we are ready to implement these three action steps immediately,” Neill said. “If you have additional concerns you may email me or your school principal. We are all shocked, saddened, and on guard with a promise to do all we can to protect our children.”