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Dear Parents/Guardians,
Providing a safe and supportive school environment is our number one priority. One of the ways we do this is by regularly reviewing and updating our school crisis management and emergency preparedness plans. Plans include how to respond to a variety of incidents such as fires, severe weather events, and other emergencies. It is critical to have safety drills each year so that our students and staff remember what to do if there is an emergency.
Virginia Law also requires schools to complete two lockdown drills a year, one within the first twenty days of the school session, and to notify parents/caregivers at least 24 hours in advance. We are not required to share the exact date and time of the drill. FCPS lockdown drills do not include any type of scenario training.
We will conduct a lockdown drill at Poplar Tree tomorrow September 12. Our pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students are not required to participate in lockdown drills during the first 60 days of the school year. They will participate in our second and final drill later this school year.
Additional information including parent tips and FAQs can be found on the Emergency Planning and Crisis Response web page. After reviewing this information, it would be helpful to have a talk with your child about safety and school procedures. Below are some tips that can help frame your conversation:
- Ask your child what they know about the drill, and how they feel about it.
- Avoid scary and/or graphic details from the media.
- Discuss that practicing how to be safe in a variety of situations is important because it helps to give them the confidence and knowledge to be safe.
- Let them know it is okay to have feelings about the drill and that you and adults at their school are there to help them be safe and listen if they would like to talk more.
There will be school mental health staff available to help students with concerns around the lockdown drill. If you have questions, please reach out to us.
Keeping our school safe and secure for all students and staff involves the participation of the entire school community, and we thank you for your help to keep our school safe.
Sincerely,
Sue Andujar - Principal
Amy Alley - Assistant Principal
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