Dear Hockinson Families,
As our nation engages in the very difficult but necessary conversation about school safety, I want to share with you that in Hockinson we take this issue very seriously.
We are fortunate to be part of a small, supportive community. Even so, we have plans and procedures in place to deal with threats and emergencies. We carry out staff trainings and school-wide drills on a regular basis, and our administrators stay up to date on the latest safety strategies through workshops and trainings.
Over the past few years, Hockinson has made substantial improvements to the physical security of each of our schools. Additionally, each school has trained security staff, plus we have a Clark County Sheriff's deputy based in our district and available to all three of our schools. Our School Resource Officer (SRO) monitors safety throughout the district and evaluates issues and trends in our area that have the potential to impact Hockinson.
Preventing tragedies takes more than security, though. In Hockinson, we believe that community is key, and that is why each school places a high priority on creating a caring environment.
Each of Hockinson's schools has at least one counselor on staff, the elementary school has a social worker, and the district employs two school psychologists. Their work-first and foremost- is to become aware of and then to work with students and families who might need extra assistance, whether academic, emotional, social or physical, including everything from school supplies to food.
Additionally, they facilitate and encourage staff efforts to cultivate kind and caring environments, where every student is known by name, by their skill sets and by their challenges. Our goal is to build strong bonds within our schools and within the broader community. This is the Hockinson way.
As members of the Hockinson community, each of you can help us keep our schools safe. One way is this: If you see something, say something.
If you or your student becomes aware of a potential threat to a school-whether in the form of comments from other students or something seen on social media-please report it to your school principal, law enforcement or me.
If you or your students have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to bring them to a counselor, a principal or another trusted adult.
And please, always remember, in Hockinson, our schools are more than buildings. They and the people in them are our community.
Sincerely,
Sandra Yager