To our Carrollton City Schools Family,
With yesterday’s tragic school shooting in Parkland, Fla., on everyone’s mind, I wanted to take the time to assure you that safety is our Number One priority at Carrollton City Schools. We take seriously our charge to provide a safe environment for your children, our teachers, our support staff, and all who enter our hallways.
Our safety plans undergo continuous review and refinement. This most recent tragedy has prompted an evaluation of our evacuation protocols, specifically concerning the use of fire drills. We must strike a balance between practicing safety preparedness and protecting our students from vulnerable situations. Safety will always take priority.
Outside of the shooting itself, an area of grave concern that has emerged is the perpetrator’s use of social media to showcase his desire to cause harm. His Facebook posts were shocking on their own, but what is even more alarming is that hundreds of people saw his posts, yet no one alerted authorities of his suspected intentions. While freedom of speech is an inalienable right, so is freedom from fear. There is no way to know for sure whether notifying authorities could have made a difference, but it certainly would have prompted a closer look at his activity and may have prevented this tragedy. I urge everyone to be proactive in this regard if aware of a similar situation.
Finally, please join me in extending prayers to the victims, their families, the school community and beyond, and to include in this request a specific prayer for our society not to become desensitized by senseless tragedies such as this.
Dr. Mark Albertus
Superintendent
