May 4, 2023
Dear Parents, Guardians, Caregivers, and Students,
Today at approximately 9:53 AM a lockdown DRILL was initiated at West Genesee High School. Shortly after the lockdown was called, I came over the loudspeaker and announced that it was in fact a drill, and that students should continue to follow lockdown procedures until their doors were unlocked by district personnel or emergency services. We are sending this email out as the drill is initiated in an effort to reach families with information should their student reach out by cell phone before the drill announcement is made over the loudspeaker. In addition, a tweet was shared indicating that a lockdown DRILL is taking place at the high school.
Recently, students and staff were made aware that NYS requires us to have 2 more lockdown drills before the end of the school year. I know that these can cause a lot of stress for both students and staff, but it is important to be prepared for true emergencies. In order to properly prepare for a true emergency, and at the recommendation of the Camillus Police Department, students were informed that these drills may happen while they are in class, during passing time between classes, or during a lunch period. They were also told that neither students or staff would be made aware ahead of time. All calls for a lockdown, lockout, or fire, must be taken seriously.
We hope that this coordinated effort to inform students of additional drill requirements ahead of time, making an announcement shortly after the drill was initiated, an email to families, and a public tweet will have made this drill a little less stressful for our students and their loved ones. In addition, we have stationed counselors and staff members around the building to assist any students impacted by the drill. One more to go before the end of the year.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
Tracy Klefbeck
Principal
West Genesee High School