We are excited to begin the 2022 – 2023 school year. As a parent of three students in the district, I know this time can be filled with many activities, from finding teacher assignments to organizing bus pick-up times. Yet, in all of the excitement, there are other items on our minds, including the safety of our schools.
This past school board meeting, we had a presentation from the HCSD Joint Safety Team. In addition, representatives from the Hilliard Division of Police and Norwich Township Fire Department joined us. We received an overview of how we partner as a community; School Resource Officers in our secondary buildings, emergency radios in each school, tabletop training with building staff, fire prevention week activities, student lock-down simulations, etc. This partnership is unique and has been strong for over a decade.
There are many examples of this partnership and how it has grown over the years. There is a strong commitment from each member of the team. I want to acknowledge the hard work of this team and thank each member for their dedication.
Seeing this team in action brings me back to preparing to go back to school. As parents and community members, I ask you to think about how you can support this critical work. It could be discussing safety protocols with your child following a simulation in the classroom and encouraging your student to learn more about HOPE Squads, and sharing the excitement with your child when a police officer comes to read a book in the classroom.
I challenge you to put one more thing on your list of having a conversation with your student about safety. If this conversation brings concerns, please know we are here to support you. Reach out. Similar to the message that will be shared from Student Resource Officers in the schools to our students, “See Something, Say Something.” As parents and community members, we are asked the same.
I wish you the best 2022 – 2023 school year.
Sincerely,
Nadia Long
HCSD Board of Education, president
