Our hearts are broken as we think about the precious children and dedicated educators who were killed yesterday at Robb Elementary School. Every mass shooting is tragic.  When this occurs in a school serving our youngest learners, it seems incomprehensible.  Mason City Schools will continue to maintain a high level of safety preparedness across the district, and we will continue to focus on our students’ social and emotional health and well-being.  

We believe school safety is a complex, community issue that requires a multi-faceted approach. Mason has implemented several initiatives in recent years to increase the safety of our schools.  That work is ongoing, and our safety plans are never "finished products."  Our safety protocols are reviewed regularly by our District's Safe and Inviting Schools Council which meets at least four times a year and is made up of staff, parents, community members, and Mason Fire Department, and Mason Police Department officials.

Some aspects of our district safety plan are visible to the public, while others are not.  Some of our current practices include:

• Partnering with the City of Mason to ensure law enforcement presence in each school.  The City of Mason's Campus Safety Team consists of full time and part time Police Officers, DARE and School Resource Officers, Firefighters and security personnel.
• Ensuring secure entries at all schools. Our front line staff are important members of our safety and security team, and that is why we require visitors to check into offices and remain in their line of sight while waiting. 
• Providing a direct surveillance feed to the Mason Police Department in emergency situations.
• Equipping our schools and buses with cameras.
• Using MARCS radios to alert all local and county police in the event of an emergency, and district two-way radios in schools in the event of cell phone outage.
• Regularly scheduled ALICE active assailant professional development and drills.  The City of Mason and the District regularly conduct joint active assailant drills that help both organizations practice and improve our emergency response capabilities.
• Communicating with parents by phone and/or text in the event of an emergency using SchoolMessenger.  Click here to opt into text messaging.

Today, some families, students and staff may be struggling. Our Prevention & Wellness Team and school counselors are available to help. The American School Counselor Association offers guidance for talking to children about school shootings:

• Try and keep routines as normal as possible. Kids gain security from the predictability of routine, including attending school.
• Limit exposure to television and the news.
• Be honest with kids and share with them as much information as they are developmentally able to handle.
• Listen to kids’ fears and concerns.
• Reassure kids that the world is a good place to be, but that there are people who do bad things.
• Parents and adults need to first deal with and assess their own responses to crisis and stress.
• Rebuild and reaffirm attachments and relationships.

MCS Safe Schools Tipline
We encourage anyone to submit safety concerns (even anonymously) to our administration in four different ways:

1.    Phone:    513-972-4910

2.    Text:       513-972-4910

3.    Email:     [email protected]

4.    Web:       http://1059.alert1.us 
 

Please keep the families of Uvalde,Texas in your thoughts and prayers.