School Safety at the Morgan Oliver School

Dear Community Members,

I'm writing in the wake of yet another senseless act of violence in our schools. This moment hits particularly hard for us, as we reflect on the pattern of young people struggling with mental health challenges since the horrific Sandy Hook shooting. Time and again, we see that those who did not receive the support they needed are allowed to continue attending school without adequate interventions. Sadly, some return to the schools where they experienced trauma, seeking vengeance, and ultimately lose their lives.

As a parent of a 14-year-old and a 10 year old, I understand the heartbreak of sending our children out into a world where so much is beyond our control.  We trust not only our lawmakers to enact sensible laws but also our educators and administrators to protect our children as we would. But our legislators have failed to deliver on the gun reform and social services that we know we know are the answers to stem the violence, and they must be held accountable.

This year alone, there have been 45 school shootings in the U.S., and this is unacceptable. In this case, the shooter was a 14-year-old who had shown signs of impending harm. The child brought a semi-automatic weapon to school, an act that has shattered countless lives, including his own. This child will now be tried and treated as an adult, which raises critical questions: Why do these weapons remain accessible when so many lives have been lost? Why aren’t we prioritizing mental health and smaller class sizes to identify and support vulnerable children?

I want to share some measures that the Morgan Oliver School has implemented and will continue to refine as we adapt to this challenging environment of gun violence:

1. Personalized Attention: No school shooting at a micro school has ever occurred. We know our students well and take their mental health needs seriously, working with parents and resources to ensure every child's safety.

2. Enhanced Security: We have multiple locks and checkpoints to access the third floor. We will now ensure these doors remain closed, rather than propped open during dismissal times.

3. Updated Safety Plans: Our updated safety plans are located in your parent handbooks and will be re-circulated via Dreamclass.

4. Mental Health Support: We retain a mental health specialist on staff who works with teachers, parents, and students to identify signs of distress and address them early and holistically. When we say that every child thrives here, we mean it.

Today, I will visit each classroom to discuss the shooting in age-appropriate terms. For younger children, I will read Something Happened in Our Park by Drs. Ann Hazzard and Marianne Celano, which addresses gun violence in a child-friendly manner.

Following these discussions, we will provide students with opportunities to express their concerns and take action, such as writing letters to Congress or creating posters advocating for better gun laws or mental health services. Civic engagement is a core community practice, and we aim to empower students through action rather than instill fear.

We will also conduct drills throughout September, using language like "We're practicing how to be safe when someone we don't know is in the school," to minimize anxiety. Our goal is for students to understand safety procedures in a calm and controlled manner.

We are grateful for your trust and hold those impacted by this tragedy in our hearts, including the young shooter whose actions have affected so many lives.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sanidia Oliver- Stone

she/her/hers

Founder, Head of Schoolwww.morganoliverschool.org