Supporting students in school

3/27/2023

Dear Parents,

Today was a senseless tragedy. It cuts deeper as we are so closely connected on many fronts with friends and family at Covenant. We strive every day to make Harding Academy as safe a learning environment as possible from an ever evolving campus master security plan to regular intervals of training, our Director of Security, Chuck Carter, works tirelessly to keep us all safe. Some of those steps (and others best left to our internal understandings) include:

The Director of Security does proactive patrol to ensure the safety of everyone on campus. He averages seven miles a day walking our campus.
A visitor management system that all persons are required to sign in upon arrival at the school.
All exterior doors are locked at all times.
All faculty/staff receive active shooter training annually in August through Defend Systems. We focus on preventive measures as well as self defense and trauma treatment.
Trauma kits and AED's are stationed around campus for quick access in case of an emergency.
We conduct a minimum of two active shooter drills each academic year. Personnel have a strict 20 second time limit to secure their classrooms and offices.
We use the Ruvna app, radios, phones, and the intercom system to communicate rapidly internally.

As pressing in your minds, no doubt, is what tomorrow will look like for your children. I am sharing with you all our plans for engaging children at a developmentally appropriate level tomorrow regarding today’s events. As Aubrey Sapp and Jordan Yates, our school counselors, write below, we hope and expect that many of these first conversations will take place tonight at home. We also know that children cope best when routine and regularity are the norm and most often that means being at school. However, we recognize the scope and impact of this tragedy is likely to come up in class and that families have shared varying levels of information about what has happened. In an effort to provide as much information as possible for you to know what that will look like, Aubrey and Jordan have outlined the document below, which has been shared with our teachers tonight. Please know that if you would prefer to keep your child at home tomorrow we will fully support that.

We are surrounding all of those affected with love and support to the extent that we are able. Often in these times we want to know what we can DO. As we learn more about how we might specifically support the students, families, teachers, and staff at Covenant, we will be sure to communicate that to you promptly. You can expect more information from me tomorrow. For tonight, please hug your family. I know I will.

Sincerely,

Dave Skeen

Dear Faculty and Staff

Today’s tragedy is not something we can process in a short amount of time. We will all need time to grieve, process, and heal. We want to ensure that everyone knows that you and our students have a safe place here at Harding Academy to do that. If you or your student(s) need a place away from the classroom at any time tomorrow or in the coming days please let us or your division director know. We will have open spaces throughout the school. We have provided some resources below if and when discussions arrive in your classroom.

As Dave stated in his email earlier today to families, we have notified families of our lower school students that it is always in the child’s best interest for families to initiate these conversations. We hope and expect that many of these conversations will take place tonight at home. Within our classrooms and in our school spaces, we are here to support our students in whatever ways they need. There may be a spectrum of understanding and knowledge of the tragedy which occurred today within our PreK through third grade classrooms. We presume that students in fourth grade through eighth grade will have a greater understanding and more questions. Please know this is guidance and a framework for how to address your class, however, we trust your expertise and knowledge of your students and how to navigate these conversations with your students.

We have all been affected by this tragedy, some in more direct ways than others. Remember, we are not here to solve a student’s feelings in any way, however, we can be there to sit with a student’s feelings. Please give yourself and everyone in our community grace at this time.

We are here to support you, our students and families.

Sincerely,

Aubrey Sapp and Jordan Yates

PreK-Kindergarten

In keeping with developmental consideration, we suggest teachers not have a class meeting to explicitly address the tragedy or details surrounding the events.
Our responses and message to students (if brought up) will be to reiterate that we are safe and redirect any conversations or questions into a more private setting. It is also important to let the student know that the adults in their classroom, Mrs. Yates, and parents are all there to support them and listen to their thoughts and feelings.
If it seems that a particular student is having difficulty managing feelings or asking specific questions, please let them know that you will help them find a time to talk with Mrs. Yates or Mrs. Sapp so they can have that space to talk and find a way to bring those questions home to their parents as well.
Please know it is okay to not answer every question that is asked, and to tell a student you do not have all the answers.
Start with what you do know. We know that we are safe. We know that there are people at Harding that care about you. We know that Officer Carter is here to protect us and our teachers are trained to keep us safe.

1st - 2nd

Having a class meeting is at the homeroom teachers’ discretion. This class meeting should occur first thing in the morning when students are settled after arrival.
You could start the meeting by saying “Some of you may have heard about the tragedy that occurred at another school yesterday. Everyone in this class might experience a wide range of feelings, all of which are normal and okay. You might also have many questions. If you do have questions, you can ask me (your teacher) privately or talk to Mrs. Yates or Mrs. Sapp or an adult at home. The most important thing I want you to know is that you are safe. There are people at Harding that care about you. We know that Officer Carter is here to protect us and our teachers are trained to keep us safe.”
If a student asks you directly about a question, keep it factual and brief. Bring the conversation back to the message that we are safe and there are a lot of adults who care about you at Harding.
To validate student feelings and ensure they know you heard them, you can say “I hear that you are feeling sad/mad/confused/etc. And that makes sense and is OK to feel. Remember that there are trusted adults here to support you through those feelings.” *Please remember that we cannot “fix” or “solve” a student’s feelings, but we can sit with them in those feelings and let them know that they are not alone and we hear them.

3rd

Third grade teachers will have a class meeting in their homeroom. This class meeting should occur first thing in the morning when students are settled after arrival.
You could start the meeting by saying “Some of you may have heard about the tragedy that occurred at another school yesterday. Everyone in this class might experience a wide range of feelings, all of which are normal and okay. You might also have many questions. If you do have questions, you can ask me (your teacher) privately or talk to Mrs. Yates or Mrs. Sapp or an adult at home. The most important thing I want you to know is that you are safe. There are people at Harding that care about you. We know that Officer Carter is here to protect us and our teachers are trained to keep us safe.”
If a student asks you directly about a question, keep it factual and brief. Bring the conversation back to the message that we are safe and there are a lot of adults who care about you at Harding. With third grade, there may be more questions and wanting to share personal stories amongst the class, however please acknowledge and validate student feelings while also letting students know that there are adults to provide that further time and space for each individual.
To validate student feelings and ensure they know you heard them, you can say “I hear that you are feeling sad/mad/confused/etc. And that makes sense and is OK to feel. Remember that there are trusted adults here to support you through those feelings.” *Please remember that we cannot “fix” or “solve” a student’s feelings, but we can sit with them in those feelings and let them know that they are not alone and we hear them.

4th - 5th

Fourth and Fifth grade teachers will have a class meeting with their homeroom. This class meeting should occur first thing in the morning when students are settled after arrival.
You could start the meeting by saying “Many of you may have heard about the tragedy that occurred at another school yesterday. Everyone in this class might experience a wide range of feelings, all of which are normal and okay. You might also have many questions.”
“The most important thing I want you to know is that you are safe. There are people at Harding that care about you. We know that Officer Carter is here to protect us and our teachers are trained to keep us safe. There are other adults whom you can speak with, including Mrs. Sapp and Mrs. Yates if you have questions or feelings you would like to address.”
Create a space for conversation and student questions. Start by asking them what they know (or think they know) first. They're likely to need help thinking through potential misconceptions about what's happened. In many cases, students may need reminders to not jump to conclusions because not all of the facts may be available yet.
If a student asks you directly about a question, keep it factual and brief. Bring the conversation back to the message that we are safe and there are a lot of adults who care about you at Harding. With fourth & fifth grade, there may be more questions and wanting to share personal stories amongst the class, however please acknowledge and validate student feelings while also letting students know that there are adults to provide that further time and space for each individual.

6th - 8th

Middle School students will have a class meeting in their advisory group from 8:00 AM to 8:15 AM in the morning.
Create a space for conversation and student questions. They're likely to need help thinking through potential misconceptions about what's happened. In many cases, students may need reminders to not jump to conclusions because not all of the facts may be available yet.
Show students what curiosity and good critical thinking look like. For teachers, it's okay to not have all the answers as long as we model that we're curious and actively seeking out factual information. Redirect questions to factual information and feelings (“I hear that you’re feeling angry/upset/confused/xyz about …”) while modeling how to be respectful of others’ feelings.
Reiterate steps we take for safety, including drills, knowing who our trusted adults are both in and outside of school, as well as being mindful of the way in which we access and interact with news and events on social media.
“The most important thing I want you to know is that you are safe. There are people at Harding that care about you. We know that Officer Carter is here to protect us and our teachers are trained to keep us safe. There are other adults whom you can speak with, including Mrs. Sapp and Mrs. Yates if you have questions or feelings you would like to address.”

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