Dear GUSD Families and Friends,
Just about two weeks ago we were all extremely saddened by the terrible act of violence at The Covenant School in Nashville. I am continually sorrowful about the very small group of bad actors in our society who choose violence against children as the means to make their personal statement. As I have written in this space before, I wish I could guarantee that nothing similar to those heinous attacks would ever happen here in Globe, but no one in our country can make that statement. Even though we can’t make such a promise, we can continue to look for and implement strategies that would help improve our safety precautions. We continue to learn as a district from our planning, drills, and experiences.
Just about a week ago Copper Rim Elementary School and Globe High School were notified by the Globe Police Department to go on lockdown because of a person of suspicion in the general vicinity of those schools. Our building administrators responded and followed the directive issued by GPD. The lockdowns were not long in duration (about 20 minutes). With those facts in mind, my follow-up email to our staff last week was as follows:
Dear GUSD Staff,
I just wanted to take a minute of your time to communicate a few things about the lockdown at Globe High School and Copper Rim Elementary School this past Tuesday, April 4th, 2023.
- First of all, thank you to the leaders and staff at both schools for helping our students navigate through the lockdown.
- Secondly, there were some process issues that came up during the lockdown. As district and building leaders we are going to review and process input many of you have given us about our safety preparedness to help us all be better equipped in case of emergencies.
- Thirdly, through the lockdown experience, I realized we need to continue to work more closely with our local police department. We have scheduled an administrative council meeting with Globe Police Department to discuss improved communication between the school district and GPD next week.
Again, thank you for your support and efforts to keep our students safe. We are viewing this week’s situation as a learning experience as we strive to live up to our vision of “Capturing Hearts, Empowering Minds”.
I want to express the same thoughts to you as a greater school community. We will continue to review our district emergency plans and coordinate with our local Globe Police Department. Thank you for your support in our efforts to improve our emergency preparedness and ultimately, do all we can do to provide the safest environment possible for our students, staff, and community.
Sincerely,
Jerry Jennex, Superintendent