Wednesday marks the anniversary of one of the most tragic events in the history of public education in our state. In order to honor the memory of the lives lost at Oxford High School that day, we want to encourage everyone to wear Oxford colors, blue and gold, on Wednesday.
Because this is a somber anniversary, we wanted to ensure that whatever we did to commemorate the lives we lost was done in a manner that honors the victims and their loved ones in an appropriate manner.
While so many think back on November 30, 2021, with equal parts anger and anguish, I think it is important that we also remember the way in which communities across our state, and across the country, were quick to offer the hand of friendship, to share the immense burden felt by everyone connected to Oxford.
While we share our memories from one year ago, let us not lose sight of the massive outpouring of love and support in response to evil.
I will never forget the rapid response of our local law enforcement partners that day. They rushed into the chaos, through the fog of the unknown, to shield students from any further harm. We are forever grateful for their willingness to run toward danger.
In preparation for November 30, I have reached out to local law enforcement partners and school leaders in our region. We think it is important, in light of the seriousness of the anniversary, to allow for an increased police presence in and around our schools. This is a matter of comfort for us, not alarm.
With that in mind, I also want to remind all of you of the great work that has been done in the last year to make our schools safer, and to ensure students and staff are better prepared in the event of an emergency.
All staff have been trained in ALICE, the nation’s foremost active shooter training, and that training has become a prerequisite for employment in the District. Our students have also been immersed in ALICE over the last several months.
We had a community forum on school safety, installed new high-tech camera systems in our buildings, and have been diligently updating our Emergency Operations Plans to conform with best practices.
And since the passage of the school improvement bond in November, there’s much more to come.
Moving forward, as a school district, we will honor the memory of the victims, and affirm the grief of the survivors, by redoubling our efforts to do everything we can to keep our students and staff safe.
The Bolt 