RHHS Wildcats: News You Can Use
School Safety - Special Parent Newsletter
Taking care of our students - school safety
A few weeks ago, our school went on lockdown. In light of recent events nationwide, and after having an awesome parent call me with concerns, I thought it would be a good idea to share with all of you some information about school safety.
Your children's safety and security is always going to be my number one priority. You send your children to school expecting them to be safe and well cared for, and that will always be our goal.
In the event of an emergency, all of the adults will act to ensure your children's safety and well-being.
Lockdowns happen for a variety of reasons, and when we call a lockdown, it doesn’t necessarily mean there is a serious threat. A lockdown is called when there is a medical emergency with a student or an adult to protect that person’s privacy and to minimize movement about the campus so that the emergency can be addressed as quickly and as appropriately as possible. A lockdown is called for a safe-school search and when these happen movement about classrooms and the campus ceases. Lockdowns are also called for when we have an imminent threat, such as an intruder or an active shooter. If we were to have a situation such as either of these, we would call the lockdown and announce very specific information regarding the imminent danger. Faculty and staff know what to do, and they would react swiftly and professionally to make sure your children were as safe as possible.
Teachers have been instructed that when we call a lockdown and don’t give any additional information that they are to secure their classroom, account for all students, and continue teaching. As I just explained, there are a number of reasons for a lockdown and it isn’t always appropriate or possible to give additional information when we call the lockdown.
I do work to provide communication to teachers and parents as best we can. If a lockdown is called, we do work to send a text alert to parents. If you are getting my weekly newsletter, you should get these alerts as well. If you don't get these alerts, please let us know.
Richmond Hill High School and Bryan County Schools are committed to making sure we are providing your the best education and care possible. After the last lockdown, a meeting was held the very next day to review our response to the situation. Our Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, Dr. Trey Robertson, met with me, all of the assistant principals, our two School Resource Officers, and the Chief of Police. We identified what we did and reviewed areas for improvement. With this particular situation, our response was very appropriate.
I always want your children to feel safe while they are at school. I hope this information is helpful to you, and if you have any questions, you are welcome to contact me, one of the assistant principals, or Officer Zirpolo or Officer Smith.
Thank you for all YOU do to help make Richmond Hill High School and our community great!
Richmond Hill High School
Email: dmcneal@bryan.k12.ga.us
Website: http://www.bryancountyschools.org/o/rhhs
Location: 1 Wildcat Drive, Richmond Hill, GA, United States
Phone: 912-459-5151
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richmondhillhigh/
Twitter: @RichmondHill_HS