Dear Nicholson Families,
The events of December 14, 2012, that took place in Connecticut, have shocked our sensibilities and assaulted our very core. Tragedies, such as this serve as a painful reminder that the most unconscionable horrors do sometimes occur.
I believe that most people are good, and they seek opportunities to bring joy and happiness to those around them. Unfortunately, there are others who create turmoil and tragedy wherever they go. People who make decisions without regard to how it will impact those around them are just beyond our mind's capability to understand. It is so hard to make sense out of tragedies that are totally senseless.
I want to assure you that we have security measures in place, and we practice them on a regular basis. While these practices and safety resources go a long way toward maintaining a safe learning environment for our students, no security measure available can protect against every conceivable threat. Despite that fact, and despite the occurrence of random acts of nature and disturbed individuals, let me reassure you that the safety of your children is our highest priority, and that we will be vigilant and use the resources we have available to ensure that students stay safe under our watch.
As many of you are aware, I began efforts over the past several months to request that the front entrance to Nicholson be reconfigured so that we are better able to control who enters our building. Due to budget constraints this is not able to be completed without the support of SPLOST IV. This is an approved item for Nicholson in the SPLOST IV notebook which you can view on the county website under SPLOST. In the meantime, we are challenged with monitoring the front entrance of the building to ensure that every person entering the school has been identified. Due to budget constraints, we simply do not have the personnel to place in the front lobby consistently. I am reaching out to you, the Nicholson community, to come forward and assist us with the reception area in the front lobby. I urge you to contact the school today (770) 928-5573 to volunteer a ½ day or full day of your time between now and the end of this school year so that we can make sure all visitors to our building are properly identified. Although we all know there is no absolute way to prevent senseless acts, we can certainly tighten our security so that we can all feel a little safer. Will you step up today to help us? Don't wait for someone else to volunteer. We need YOU!
Going forward, with your help as volunteers, we can ensure that all persons will be challenged when they do not have proper identification. Please do not be offended if someone at the reception desk asks you to provide identification. Remember, we are trying to keep all kids safe and the person at the desk may not know you personally.
Unfortunately there are times when no one can prevent such evil that occurred in Connecticut. We try to meet a balance of our schools being a place that welcomes visitors without too much inconvenience to actually institutionalizing our schools to look like prisons. Here at Nicholson, we now have an Access Control System which prevents anyone who does not have an access badge from entering the school (except for the front entrance which is disarmed during the school day). In addition, surveillance cameras were also installed in our school just this year.
We have a school wide Safety Plan, approved by GEMA. Cobb School District was one of the first school districts to comply with state law to have these Safety Plans in place. In addition, we have Code Red Lockdown Drills so that our staff and students are prepared in the event of an emergency. We are only one of the few school systems nationwide that conduct Lockdown Drills.
I encourage you to continue to search for the good in the world, to appreciate the blessings that we have each day, and to support each other in difficult times. Please keep the families affected by these tragedies in your thoughts and prayers.
Hug your families tight tonight and every night.
For kids,
Wanda Shue
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