Safety Is Top Priority, Berkley School District Says

The Berkley School District is reviewing its security measures in the wake of a deadly school shooting Friday in Newtown, CT, that left 26 people dead and parents nationwide shaken.

"Please know that every school in our district has emergency procedures in place which are routinely practiced and reviewed," Superintendent Dennis McDavid wrote Sunday in a letter to parents. "These include fire drills, tornado drills and lock-down drills. I’ve directed all staff members to again review their building’s safety procedures and to continue to remain vigilant."

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Every building in the district keeps its doors locked and has a buzz-in system with a video feed, BSD Communications Supervisor Jessica Stilger said Monday.

"Safety is the number one thing for our buildings," she said.

Stilger added that the district rarely has had to implement a lock down and that more often than not, such an action is taken at the request of law enforcement officials due to a situation outside the school environment.

An exception occurred in September 2010 when a lockdown was implemented after a man who claimed to be inside Burton Elementary School made threatening phone calls to the school. The Huntington Woods Public Safety Department discovered the claim to be false; the suspect eventually was arrested.

"I feel very confident that they're doing what they need to do to keep the kids safe," Alissa Malerman, who has two sons in first and third grade at Burton, said Monday. "We've never felt they were unsafe. I know the teachers and staff there are treating them just like I would. I know if something bad happened, they would do what I would do."

Malerman, who also works part time as a para-educator at Pattengill Elementary School, said she still has to buzz in, look in camera, sign in at the office and put on a sticker every time she visits.

While her boys were home sick Monday, she said she is confident about sending them back to school.

"When scary things happen, they need their routine," Malerman said.

Coping resources

BSD Superintendent Dennis McDavid has recommended the following links.

• Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting
• Talking with Kids about the News from PBS
• Helping Children Cope After a School Shooting
• Here for Each Other - PBS/Sesame Street

"Our district’s counselors, psychologists and social workers will be available as always to help any child who may be having a difficult time," McDavid wrote in his letter to parents.