UPDATE: Officials Meet to Discuss Safety in Stoughton Schools in Wake of Newtown School Shooting

Editor's Note: Originally posted 6 a.m. on Dec. 15 and updated at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 16.

The following is a message Dr. Marguerite Rizzi, Superintendent of the Stoughton Public Schools sent to members of the media and a letter to parents Sunday afternoon following a meeting of the Schools' District Crisis Team. The meeting came in the wake of the Friday morning shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.

Adam Lanza, 20, reportedly killed his mother then 20 children and six adults at the elementary school, before killing himself.

Dr. Rizzi also issued a statement Friday evening in regards to the shooting. That statement can be found below as well.

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STATEMENT TO MEDIA (Sunday, Dec. 16)

We wish to reassure the parents of children in the Stoughton Public Schools that we are doing everything we can to keep children safe in school.  We do regular lock down drills in all of our schools, and are looking at new protocols that may be more effective in addressing life threatening incidents.  

The District Crisis Team which included Chief of Police Shastany, Officer [Roger] Hardy, and the interim Town Manager, Mr. Joseph Feaster, as well as district administrators and counseling staff, met this afternoon [Sunday] to review procedures and make sure that we had everything in place for the return of students tomorrow [Monday].

There will be a reassuring police presence during the school day at the schools this week for our holiday concert series.  

The Police Department and School District have worked together for more than a year to bring more resource officers into the schools.  We are pleased to say that one of our new resource officers will be starting after the first of the year.

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EMAIL TO PARENTS (Sunday, Dec. 16)

Dear Parents,

We are all shocked and saddened by the tragedy in Newtown on Friday.  We want to assure you that we have many things in place to keep our schools safe. 

When students come in tomorrow [Monday] in the middle and high schools they will hear a brief announcement acknowledging the incident and telling them that Monday will be a day of normal routine.  There will be no announcement in the elementary schools, but teachers will be prepared to reassure students that they are safe and acknowledge their feelings if they mention the incident.  Our counselors will be ready to address the needs of any students who are having difficulty, as they always are.

As always we are grateful for the support of the Stoughton Police Department. Chief Shastany will have a heightened police presence at the schools during our holiday concert series this week.

Our Crisis Team met today [Sunday] and we are fully prepared to deal with this incident.

Sincerely,

Marguerite C. Rizzi, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools

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ORIGINAL STATEMENT (Friday, Dec. 14)

Dear Stoughton Schools Family,

The shootings today in Connecticut have hit the nation hard, and the impact is particularly hard for those of us in education who cannot help but think, "Could this happen here, to us, to our schools, to our classrooms?"  

I have already spoken to Police Chief Shastany and plan to convene the District Crisis Team as soon as possible next week.  We will review all of our plans and procedures and discuss what might be done to enhance or improve them.  

The administration has already been looking at the new ALICE protocol, which is a slightly different approach to possible life threatening incidents.  We will be considering this along with all known options during our meetings in the early part of next week.

Our staff does a good job of keeping our students safe.  We will look again at all possible tools available to further support that effort.

Thank you,

Marguerite Rizzi, Superintendent of Schools

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