Dear AAPS Families,
The tragic event today in Connecticut has brought up some questions regarding the safety plans for our schools.
Please let me assure you that this district is very well prepared for a wide variety of emergencies. Each school has a safety plan in place. This plan includes a heightened awareness from the main office staff and by our school staff. School doors, are in general, locked during the school day except for the front doors. Teachers and staff members have classroom safety plans with instructions in each classroom that are reviewed each year. There are staff members trained in crisis response and CPR in each building. Many staff members have also participated in staged training exercises in response to potential school emergencies.
AAPS works closely with the Ann Arbor Police Department. Police have reviewed and contributed to the district safety plans and participate with us in the training exercises.
While today's events are just now unfolding, we need to assure AAPS families that we continue to assess our safety plans as we will again after this tragedy.
Please feel free to contact your school principal or me if you have any further questions.
These types of events are just impossible to explain. Our condolences are with the families at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the whole Newtown, Connecticut community.
Please have a peaceful weekend,
Liz Margolis
Director of Communications
