Dear Fairport families,
The school shooting in Tennessee yesterday has left another community in terror and mourning. As we grieve for what occurred on the national stage, it is important to acknowledge that the tension our families and our staff feel is real. The ripple effects of this horrific act impact our educators’ already very challenging jobs, and as a Fairport parent, I know only too well the fear that violence like this brings into our homes.
Safety and security are always on our mind in Fairport and the District’s highest responsibility. We use incidents like the threats that occurred at another local district last week and yesterday’s tragedy in Nashville to re-examine and reinforce our own preventative practices.
Over the past several years, the District has updated its safety and security plans – an effort led by former law enforcement official Sam Farina, now our Safety and Security Coordinator. These plans are based on research and model best safety and security practices. Our layered school security approach is an important part of this plan with emphasis on preventative strategies and security hardening of our facilities.
Our investments in building administrators, mental health staff and our commitment to restorative practices are proactive measures that intentionally support students and families and connect them to greater resources of support. We are also fortunate to have strong relationships with our local authorities and agencies that are invaluable resources for students and families.
The District has also invested in hiring and assigning Sentries and/or Guardians to each of our school buildings. They act as not only a visible security presence but as another trusted adult for our students to connect with in our school buildings. Ultimately, it comes down to our professionals being visible, present and connected to our students while they are in our care – traits that are embedded into who we are as a school community and gives me reassurance as a parent and school leader.
We invite you to view this Roundtable Discussion on safety and security in our Fairport schools. This was recorded shortly before the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
It is important that we all do our part to keep our schools safe, and preventative measures are invaluable – so, if you see something, say something. Fairport has invested in a service called the Safe School Helpline, a 24-hour confidential reporting service to help keep our school community safe. The Safe School Helpline can be accessed several ways: Calling 1-800-4-1-VOICE ext. 359 (1-800-418-6423 ext. 359) or text TIPS to 66746 or by visiting our Fairport.org website.
As always, if you have any questions or need to discuss this topic further, please reach out to your student’s principal or directly to Security Coordinator, Sam Farina at sfarina@fairport.org.
Yours gratefully,
Brett Provenzano
Superintendent of Schools
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