The Langley School District has taken some steps in the wake of Friday’s tragic school shooting in Connecticut, including reviewing its emergency procedures.
Grief counsellors are available and school administrators have spent time debriefing on the incident and identifying which students and colleagues might require additional support, said Langley school district spokesperson Sandy Wakeling.
The district is also offering advice to parents on the best way to deal with such a tragedy.
The specific response the district has varies by school, depending on the grade range and ages of the students, said Wakeling.
Generally however, the following will apply:
• There will understandably be some anxiety around this incident and staff and students may have some level of emotional impact from the news. Staff and parents have been asked to watch for any changes in children’s behaviour in the coming days, particularly among vulnerable students, and refer appropriately to school counsellors as needed.
• The district has recommended that parents limit their child’s exposure to the media footage of the incident and limit any discussions to the basic facts.
• Staff have been advised to refrain from sharing images or video footage of the incident with students, the district recommends that any discussions be limited to a brief sharing of facts.
• The district has shared additional information received from the Ministry of Education with all schools regarding crisis/trauma response.
• Staff have been reminded to wear proper ID tags when visiting other schools, and to be vigilant in ensuring all visitors to their schools sign in and wear identification.
• The safety and well-being of students is always the District’s top priority. Staff have been requested to review emergency response procedures and ensure they are up to date.
