From the Desk of the Head of School- April 14, 2023

Dear Harding Learning Community,

As we continue to evaluate our security measures, as well as the emotional toll that the past few weeks have taken on us all, I wanted to send an update on a couple of security adjustments we are making to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff remain our top priority.

First, we have two remaining drills this school year. One is a fire drill and one is a red lockdown drill. Both are critical drills to conduct regularly as they provide clear expectations and muscle memory for our community in the event of an emergency. Previously, our red lockdown drill was scheduled for Thursday, April 20 at 9:00 AM, and our fire drill was to be held on Tuesday, May 16 at 1:30 PM. Because we feel our community needs more time to process the events of March 27, we have decided to switch those two drills and have a fire drill on Thursday, April 20 at 9:00 AM and a red lockdown drill on Tuesday, May 16 at 1:30 PM. We understand that a drill of any kind at this time might be triggering for our students, so if you feel that your child does not need to be here for either or both of those drills, you may bring your child to school after 9:15 AM on April 20 or pick your child up by 1:15 PM on May 16. Our counselors will be working with teachers and staff to help them prepare their classes for and respond to the drills following a developmentally appropriate trauma-informed approach. This information will also be shared with families prior to the drills so families can be informed on how we prepare your child(ren) for these drills. 

Additionally, The Harding Art Show has grown exponentially over the past several years, and, while we are incredibly grateful for the time and effort that goes into making this event a success, having our students on campus while also opening campus up to the general public presents some significant challenges. As we work to determine how this looks for subsequent Harding Art Shows, we have decided that in the best interest of our students, faculty, and staff that we will have a school holiday on Friday, May 5, 2023. Campus will remain open for The Harding Art Show but students, faculty, and staff will not report to school that day.

We are deeply grateful for the support we have received over the past few weeks as we navigate the physical and emotional impact felt across the Nashville community. As always, should you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me directly.