GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – Green Bay schools sent a letter to parents Tuesday night providing them access to mental health resources and detailing district-wide safety training.
Green Bay Area Public School District Interim Superintendent Vicki Bayer expressed sympathy for the lives lost at Robb Elementary School in Texas.
“With great sadness, I share my most heartfelt sympathy to the students, parents, staff and community of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Once again, we are faced with the incredible pain of the families of the students and the teacher who did not survive another senseless tragedy,” Bayer wrote.
We first alerted you to an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at the school, killing at least 18 children as he went from classroom to classroom.
Barbara Dorff previously served as the executive director of pupil services for the Green Bay Area Public School District. Tragedies like the Texas shooting remind her of the actions she took to ensure safety.
“For me it just brought back the heartbreak of Sandy Hook. And that is what really started me on a journey with Green Bay schools to get better school security,” Dorff said.
Dorff says she introduced ALICE into the school district, making it one of the first districts in the state to adopt the program.
“Talk to your children, maybe talk to them about their ALICE training,” Dorff urged.
ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate.
Alert is realizing you’re in danger, accepting it.
Lockdown is to block the room you’re in and be prepared to Counter and Evacuate.
Inform is to notify authorities of the shooter’s location and direction in real time.
“We make sure the doors are locked in Green Bay public schools. You can’t get into the schools. There’s a secured vestibule entrance. Where if you can get in one door, the next door has to be unlocked by someone in the office,” Dorff explained.
The district told parents in its letter one of the most important actions staff and students can take is to speak up if they see or hear anything.
“These things don’t happen in a vacuum, somebody knows. Somebody talked about it. Somebody has said something on social media, has said something to a friend,” Dorff said.
The Green Bay Area Public School District is encouraging parents, guardians and staff to visit the National Association of School Psychologists website to learn more about how to talk to children about violence.
Below is the full text of the district’s letter:
Dear GBAPS Families and Staff:
“With great sadness, I share my most heartfelt sympathy to the students, parents, staff and community of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Once again, we are faced with the incredible pain of the families of the students and the teacher who did not survive another senseless tragedy.
Recognizing the anxiety today’s active shooter situation in Texas may cause our students, know that during school hours our Student Services staff are available to support them. I encourage staff and parents/guardians to visit the National Association of School Psychologists website to learn more about talking to children about violence. I also want to remind staff that the Employee Resource Center is a free resource, and encourage you to reach out if you need support.
Whenever there is school violence, it causes fear and anxiety for parents and family members as well. There is no one simple answer to school safety; however, the District’s administration and Board of Education are committed to student and staff well-being. We take a holistic approach to school safety, addressing it in several different ways. One is through creating a safe building, which includes a secured entrance and keeping all doors locked. Another approach is through training and drills. The District was one of the first school districts in the area to adopt ALICE training (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate), which was developed in response to lessons learned from previous school shootings. Each of our schools has a school safety team and school security protocols outlining step-by-step measures to address safety/security concerns. In addition, the District works collaboratively with our local law enforcement and has School Resource Officers who work in the District, serving all school buildings.
We also recognize that it is important for students to have caring relationships with adults in our schools. In addition to classroom teachers and paraprofessionals, there are many district and school staff, community partners, and volunteers who create caring relationships with our students.
Finally, one of the most important actions any of us can take to keep schools safe is if you hear or see anything – say something. Information may be reported anonymously at Speak Up/Speak Out or at Crime Stoppers.
We take our responsibility to educate and keep our students and staff safe very seriously. Please take care of each other.”
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