Statement from Orcas Island Schools

From Barbara Kline, Orcas Island School District Superintendent
and Kyle Freeman, Principal

As many of you know by now, there was a school shooting in Connecticut this morning.  It was an elementary school with a number of students killed.

It s a terrible event and the rising number of these terrible events is the reason that we practice lock-down drills and take them seriously. Most of you know that  sheriff’s office is coordinating a training about how they would respond to such an incident over the holiday.  The will be here using the school buildings, the library and High School I believe, on December 27th.

Kyle Freeman, [Elementary, OASIS and Middle School Principal], is sending the following note out to parents:

We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the news of the tragic school shooting that took place today in Connecticut. The students, teachers, and families of Newton, Connecticut will be in the thoughts and prayers of many of us in the coming days. We would like all OISD families to know that we have school counselors available to speak with any students who have questions or are effected in any way by this news. Tragedies of this magnitude can bring about numerous questions and concerns and we are here to provide the support and care that any student may need.

Please also note that student safety and campus security are responsibilities that we take very seriously. While we would like to think that living on Orcas Island protects us from many of the scary realities of today’s world we also know that lock-down drills such as the one conducted on campus last week and the upcoming drills that the Sheriff’s and Fire Departments will be carrying out on our campus over the winter break are steps we have taken to ensure that we have prepared for these types of unthinkable events.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact any of our school administration.