Principal: Sandmeier to Hold School Security Evacuation Drill Tomorrow

The following was an announcement made on the Springfield School District listserv. 

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In response to the tragic school shooting that occurred on Friday, Dec. 14th in Newtown, Connecticut, the district continues to extend their thoughts and prayers to the students, families and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary.

In 2010 the New Jersey Department of Education created new requirements for all school safety drills.  Since its effective date of November 1, 2010, the School Security Drill Law (N.J.S. 18A:41-1), has mandated that all New Jersey schools conduct two drills per month, namely a fire drill and a school security drill.  

The law is aimed for the improvement of emergency preparedness. I assure you that we as a district take all school safety drills very seriously. Throughout the school year we will continue to practice various safety drills to ensure that our students, faculty, and staff are well-prepared to respond to emergency situations. The goal of any drill is to familiarize students with procedures, while making them feel comfortable, safe, and secure in a real emergency.

Please be advised that TLS will be conducting a School Security Evacuation Drill tomorrow (12/20).

Again, please understand that this is only a drill.

In addition, all drills come unannounced; but due to the sensitivity of last week's tragedy in CT we are making an exception to these procedures.
I will be personally visiting classrooms tomorrow morning to notify all staff and students of the planned drill.

In the case of an actual emergency, or need for evacuation, we would work closely with the Springfield Police Department and alert parents through our emergency response protocols.

You can feel confident that our school is a secure place to be and our staff is always here to ensure that safe practices and procedures are followed at all times.

In addition, I have attached a helpful document in dealing with the tragedy in CT.

If you have any questions and/or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,
Mr. Plias

Michael C. Plias, Principal
Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School
666 South Springfield Avenue