Letter: D115 Superintendent Reaffirms Safety Plans for District

The following is a letter from District 115 Superintendent Scott Wakeley.

The Connecticut tragedy that occurred last week is a stark reminder of how crucial our safety procedures are and how important it is to continuously review these procedures. The safety of our students is always the top priority in Yorkville School District 115. We take seriously our responsibility to ensure the safety of your child every day.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind all of our families that we have a crisis plan in place at each of our schools to handle emergency situations. Just yesterday, I met with the Yorkville police and fire departments to ensure our preparation. Additionally, our principals have reviewed safety procedures with our staff. Students and teachers have been trained for any emergency with regular practice of safety procedures through emergency exercises. In the coming weeks, we will review our current crisis plans to identify areas where we could improve. Though we consistently evaluate plans to ensure student safety, this tragedy has made us all aware that changes and adjustments may be necessary.

As we approach the winter break, holiday parties may increase traffic in some of our buildings. Though we want to maintain necessary parental access, our security procedures will be in place for admittance. Ensuring that only those who require admission to our buildings be allowed entry helps us to maintain secure facilities.

As parents and role models to children in our community, we are troubled by events like what occurred in Connecticut. However, tragic events such as this also provide us with the opportunity to be leaders as we help our children to understand and remind them that, as the adults in their lives, we do everything we can to keep them safe. While no amount of planning can guarantee that a horrible incident will not transpire, we make every effort to keep students and staff safe while at school.

Sincerely,

Dr. Scott Wakeley

Superintendent of Schools, Yorkville District 115