November 9, 2007

Dear Parents/Guardian:

Yesterday, late in the day, an event happened that I would like to bring to your attention. I am hopeful that by providing factual information, I can dispel false rumors. I also must inform students that as a district we will take immediate steps to deal with individuals who violate safety rules and our Middle School Code of Conduct. The consequences for such behaviors will be serious.

The incident that occurred yesterday afternoon started with one student. The student refused to follow directions and displayed blatant disrespect for Mr. Haher, our Assistant Principal. Numerous students witnessed this incident in the cafeteria. The student had to be physically removed from the cafeteria and the police were asked to come to school as a preventive measure. Thankfully, no one was harmed in the incident. The student was dealt with immediately and faces significant consequences.

I shared with the students today using our MSBC (Middle School Broadcasting Center) that I was disappointed with the 8^th graders who cheered during this incident. I encouraged them to think about how their behavior negatively reinforced the misbehavior of this student and could have led him to make additional poor decisions.

Please take this opportunity to discuss with your son/daughter the importance of making good decisions and thinking about the consequences of his/her actions. We can not tolerate anything that jeopardizes the safety of individuals at school and we will take all measures available to us, including the possibility of police charges, when someone threatens the safety of others.

Please reinforce with your son/daughter that our schools are very safe and that we all need to do our part to keep them safe, including telling an adult at school if their friends or fellow students are doing anything that could jeopardize their own safety or the safety of others.

I appreciate your support in this matter. Please know that your children are safe at our school and we continue to do everything possible to maintain their safety.

Sincerely,

Shari Keller