[CCHS] School safety

[Art Dulong]

Hello to all,

	Without doubt you have watched the news about recent school tragedies. It
would be natural to wonder about the safety and security of our school. I
am writing this to address some of that concern.

	First, we have a safe school. That is due in large part to the fact that
students, faculty, and all staff work diligently to make it that way.
People at CCHS are very conscious of visitors to the building, anything or
anyone who seems out of place, and anything that appears to be dangerous.
This is a big building with lots of entry points, but it is well watched
by the people who inhabit it.

	Second, we have very specific policies and procedures to handle virtually
any problem that occurs. Every teacher has an emergency response plan
booklet that gives specific direction for what the teacher, administrator,
nurse, or whomever will do in the event of a variety of different issues
ranging from fires and facility malfunctions to threats, fights,
intruders, and natural disasters. We can not practice every contingency in
the same way that we have fairly frequent fire drills, but we review
contingencies with selected staff and expect all staff to read and review
for the most likely contingencies.

	Third, we take your child's safety seriously. Yesterday Officer Camillari
attended our faculty meeting to discuss building security and student
safety. He and I met earlier yesterday to plan for another lockdown drill.
We also spoke about general security issues. As part of yesterday's
meeting teachers were asked to be ever more vigilant.  If you visit, you
will notice more prominent signage requesting that visitors first report
to the principal's office. Please do comply with this as it is important
that we know who is in the building. 

	Lastly, I want you to know that in securing a safe environment we also
want to be sure that we maintain the environment we value as a community
culture. We do not have cameras all over the school and do not expect to
have them. We do not have metal detectors and do not expect to have them.
We do not expect to create a lockdown environment as the school norm.

	This message is brief and not intended to be comprehensive. If you have
specific questions please do not hesitate to call or visit. 

Arthur Dulong
Principal, CCHS
(978) 341-2490 x7110