STATEMENT OF LYNNFIELD SELECT BOARD ON SCHOOL SHOOTING TRAGEDY IN TEXAS
Today, per order of the President, the flags in Lynnfield and across our country fly at half-staff as we mourn and remember those children and educators that were killed by a lone gunman at the Robb Elementary School in Texas yesterday.
All of us join together in prayer in the wake of this senseless murder of children who sought only to go to school in peace to learn and be with their friends. We pray for those in the school that dedicated their lives to teaching those children who died doing just that. We pray for the parents, family, survivors, and community that all are dealing with this unthinkable pain. We also pray for our country and community, that we might find a path to a greater peace and an end to this nightmare of mass killings in schools, supermarkets, and churches.
As community leaders, we want you to know that our schools, police, fire departments, and town administration work hard every day, plan and prepare, at all times, to keep our community safe , to keep our children safe! I ask you to remember them also as they continue to serve and protect all of our citizens.
Below is a letter sent by our Superintendent, Town Administrator, and Police Chief with some resources to assist you in having difficult conversations with your children about this terrible tragedy. It is important to join together in this time of great pain and support each other any way we can as a community.
Select Board
Philip Crawford, Chair
Joseph Connell
Richard Dalton
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May 25, 2022
Dear Lynnfield Families:
Today, per the order of the President, the flags in Lynnfield and across our country fly at half staff as we mourn and remember the children and educators that were killed by a lone gunman at the Robb Elementary School in Texas yesterday.
Another incomprehensible school shooting that has taken the lives of 19 elementary school students and 2 school staff. Elementary students, no different than our own, who simply wanted to attend school and learn and play with their friends. Staff, like our own, who simply loved their students and dedicated their lives to teaching and caring for them. We deeply mourn this unthinkable loss and remember the surviving students and staff, families, loved ones and the community of Uvalde, Texas. We also keep in our thoughts school communities across our country, including our own in Lynnfield, that started school today to teach and learn with a heavy heart and so many questions.
We know every Lynnfield family feels the deep pain of this tragedy, but it is so important to come together and support each other, especially our children.
We also want to be very clear in regard to school security and safety in Lynnfield. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our students and staff at all times. As an Emergency Management Team and District Security Team, our schools, public safety departments, and town administration, working as a true team, evaluate, plan, train, and implement safety protocols and emergency procedures in our schools throughout the year. Every department, every employee, plays a critical role and trains in every possible situation that may arise in our public schools including medical emergencies, fire, evacuation, and ALICE training and drills . We work with our state and federal partners to study and implement the latest security and operational strategies at every school campus. This is the reality of school administration today, and please know that each of us study our protocols daily and continuously improve and adjust to make our school community a place where we all feel safe and protected every single day.
Our children are precious, and they must be protected and school must be a place of peace and safety. It is our goal to not only make that statement true all the time but to partner with you to help our students process this horrific and scary event. Given our students’ exposure to technology, many of them have likely seen information about the tragedy in Uvalde, so this will no doubt be top-of-mind discussion among families throughout the nation for days to come. Our staff and counselors will be available for students in school as needed and we have provided you with links to a resource that might support you as you process this event with your child(ren). Please reach out to one of your child’s counselors or building principal if you feel your child needs specific support in processing this incident.
Warmest Regards,
Kristen S. Vogel, Superintendent of Schools
Rob Dolan, Town Administrator
Nick Secatore, Police Chief
Glenn Davis, Fire Chief / Emergency Management Director