Student safety is a top priority in the Haleyville City School System. Our teachers and staff participate in mandatory safety training yearly, and we are always seeking professional development opportunities and training to keep us up to date on the latest precautions that we can take to ensure that in the event of a dangerous situation we are as prepared. Work hard to plan for every possible scenario, and also feel it is essential for us to invest in the lives of our students and build relationships that will hopefully provide a support network for students who are going through troubled times.We take threats seriously, we do not tolerate our school environment being put at risk and we continue to seek ways to secure our buildings.

We believe that relationships matter. We hope we have shown all of our students we are a safe place where they can come to seek out the advice or help from a trusting adult. We also believe we have built the kind of relationships necessary for our students to come to a trusting adult if they see behaviors or social media posts from other students which make them uncomfortable or are of a threatening nature. These relationships are the key to getting students help before a tragedy happens. We encourage all of our staff members to listen with their ears and eyes. If there is something different or troubling about a student, we urge them help us by asking questions or referring that student to a counselor, our social worker or an administrator. We also encourage our parents to communicate with us if they are concerned about a student. We do not know everything that is going on outside of the walls of our buildings so we must rely on parents to help us to help their student. We have resources that we can employ if a student is in need, and we to do all we can to assist every student, no matter the need.

We realize everyone is hearing lots of discussions about metal detectors and arming teachers, etc... Although these measures are being considered, as educators, we know what we are dealing with is really a mental health issue. The term mental health can be offensive to some, but this does not mean we feel our students are "crazy" or "dysfunctional". It often just means a student is just going through something they are having trouble coping with or processing. This can include the death of a close family member, a parent being incarcerated or having a life situation that is less than desirable. This is the primary reason we wrote a grant and have added a social worker to our staff. He can help us find appropriate resources for our students who are dealing with difficult situations and hopefully provide the guidance out of these situations for our students that end with a positive outcome and not a negative one.

We are also hearing many stories about "copycat" threats around the state of Alabama over the past few days. We want to make one point perfectly clear. HCS will not tolerate behaviors that are threatening to the safety of our school environment or the excuse of "I was just playing around or kidding". If a threat is made to any school at HCS, there will be school consequences and the local Police and Juvenile Court System will be involved. It is our duty to protect our learning environment, and we will work daily to do all we can to ensure students are safe.

So what happens now? HCS is working to continue to employ best practices when reacting to a situation where the safety of our students is compromised. We are seeking professional advice and checking into modern technologies and devices that can increase building security. We have already added a new reception area at HES and will be installing a buzzer and camera system as well. All visitors will have to be buzzed in to come into HES. Last year HMS secured their font office so that all visitors must report to the main office before being allowed admittance into the building. HHS is seeking ways to increase security around campus. Numerous cameras have been added and teachers are posted around the campus before, after and during the school day. We are committed to student safety and will continue to work to make sure our campuses are safe.

If you have any suggestions for HCS, feel free to send us a message on any of our social media pages or request a meeting with your student's administraton. We want a strong partnership with our parents and community and appreciate your ideas and suggestions.

#HCSSLI

Dr. Holly W. Sutherland