Hello Huntley 158 families,
I am sharing this message today in an effort to remind our students and families about some important guidelines Huntley 158 has in place to keep our buildings and school buses safe. In recent weeks, the District has dealt with numerous instances of non-threatening weapons being brought to school grounds, including pocket knives, toy guns, and even handmade items which have been fashioned to look like a weapon. I would like to emphasize that, across all grade levels, weapons of any kind are not tolerated in school, on the bus, or on any Huntley 158 campus.
In each of these situations, our safety and security staff have responded with our building administration to determine if a threat to student or staff safety was present and have worked to communicate relevant details with any impacted students and their parents. Our campus resource officers have also played an active role in responding to these situations appropriately and keeping our schools as safe as possible. I want to be clear in letting our families know that there have been no firearms identified on our campuses. While we were able to confirm that none of these items were threatening or brought to school with the intent to do harm, each of these instances has been, and will continue to be, taken seriously and investigated thoroughly in order to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
As parents, I am asking you to partner with us and engage your students in a conversation about what is and is not appropriate at school. We strive every day to ensure that our students are eager to learn in an environment where they feel safe and secure, and our parents can send their children to school with confidence in their safety. In order to achieve this goal, we have very important guidelines in place district-wide. While our teachers and staff will continue to communicate these expectations to our students at school, I want to emphasize that these discussions must also happen at home in order to make an impact. Please consider reviewing the expectations listed below with your student:
- Weapons of any kind, or used in any manner, are not tolerated on school grounds or on the school bus
- Any weapon found in a students’ possession will be confiscated by staff
- Students (grades PK-12 or our LIGHT program) who bring a weapon, or look-alike weapon, to school or on the bus may face disciplinary action
We also recognize that these can be sensitive conversations to have with your student(s) and families. If, at any time, you wish to discuss school safety with a Huntley 158 staff member or feel that your child needs additional support, please contact your child’s teacher or building principal to get connected with the appropriate support and/or staff member.
As a final reminder, please do not hesitate to utilize Huntley 158’s Student Helpline if you or your student(s) see anything that poses a potential safety concern so we can react swiftly to keep our students and community safe.
Thank you for your attention to this important message and your partnership in keeping our children safe and cared for. Their safety is, as always, our top priority.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowe, Ed.D.
Superintendent
