Thursday, March 30, 2023 Volume 17 Issue 25
On Monday, I emailed families about an attempted abduction of a student on the way to school. Many of you have sent message of support for the student, who reacted quickly, came straight to school and reported the incident. Many of you also let us know that you appreciated our communication so you were aware of the incident and could keep a closer watch on your own child. I would also like to acknowledge our office staff and Ms. Davidheiser who responded quickly to involve district security and the police. Additionally, Ms. Matsui pulled together resources to help each classroom teacher talk to their class about Stranger Danger.
Both district security and the police have increased their patrols around our school, especially at arrival and dismissal. The police have not identified a suspect in this situation, but they are following up and taking this seriously.
At school, anyone entering the building must be buzzed in by our front office. Over time, our office staff had become familiar with many parents and caregivers, especially those of you who are frequently at school. Please know that they will continue to ask people they don’t know to identify themselves before allowing entry. As always, if you are concerned about a particular person not picking up your child, or you have a restraining order or other legal situation involving your child, please do be sure to let our office staff know about this.
A few other safety notes:
If your child walks to school without an adult, encourage other children in the neighborhood to walk together with your child. Children are safest in groups. We see many neighbors already doing this.
Please be sure that your child is not arriving early or staying late after school unless they are involved in an activity, or they are registered with the YMCA. We do not have any school supervision before 8:40 AM or after 3:25 PM. We understand that emergencies occasionally arise – please call our office if you are unavoidably late to pick up. Please do not drop your child off before 8:40 AM.
We have noticed a number of students wanting to play ball in the grass near the parking lot as they wait for parent to pick up. This is unsafe, as balls roll into the parking lot and children want to run after them. Adults on duty will be asking children not to play ball outside the school gates.
We will continue to follow the district protocol of monthly safety drills. We have a variety of drills for different situations. We practice a different drill each month so that students know how to respond. Please refer to my January 12, 2023, Pup Press article for more information about this. https://tmpuppress.wixsite.com/mysite/post/safety-drills-at-thurgood-marshal
Ultimately, it takes a community working together to keep students safe. It’s helpful for all of us to keep an eye out for situations that unsafe. Thank you for working together with us!
Resources to talk to your child about Stranger Danger:
There are a variety of options here for children of different ages.
1-2 Volunteers needed April 26
for TM booster vaccine clinic.
Duties include being a “runner” to bring students to clinic location and helping to reassure nervous students.
Time TBD- plan for 11 AM to 3 PM.
Email Katie at kjmay1@seattleschools.org if you have completed all volunteer paperwork. Thanks!
