Last month, I wrote to our Healdsburg Unified School District families in an attempt to address the overwhelming concerns about safety that I know have been surfacing in response to the recent tragedy at Montgomery High School, as well as to the horrifying acts of violence that continue to occur across the country. In an effort to keep the greater Healdsburg community informed of the district’s efforts to support our students, I want to share part of that message here as well.
I know the trust parents and the community place in schools. You trust us to keep your kids safe, to teach them to read, think, analyze, share and be kind. You trust that we are going to do everything we can to ensure that they come back to you better in some way than they were when they bounded away toward the playground on the first day of school.
Know that we take that trust seriously. There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our students and staff. Given the concerns that have justifiably arisen over the past few weeks around school safety, I wanted to reach out to inform you of some initiatives we’ve undertaken to support student safety and well-being.
First, we’ve taken several important steps to make sure we are addressing the anxiety and other mental health challenges students are facing post-pandemic. Two years ago, we brought in two highly qualified therapists who work with our district’s counseling team and psychologists to address our students’ needs. We’re using regular screening tools with students to gauge where they are emotionally so that we can act swiftly and prescriptively. Next year, we’re excited to announce that we will be opening a wellness center at Healdsburg High to increase our capacity to help students and make appropriate referrals.
We’ve also shifted our training for emergency intruder situations to follow new models that are encouraged by the Department of Homeland Security. This year, we adopted the AVERT training model that teaches staff how to act in emergency situations. We are working to refine our practices, procedures and communications strategies as well. We’ve partnered with the Healdsburg Police Department and are bringing officers on campus in an effort to familiarize them with the district should an emergency arise. Furthermore, we work with HPD leadership regularly on both training and collaborative problem solving.
Finally, we are in the midst of creating Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for our students. MTSS is a system of problem solving to ensure every student grows academically, socially and behaviorally. This comprehensive system is widely recognized as being an essential component of building safer schools.
As parents and educators, we take your children’s safety and wellbeing seriously. We know the trust you are putting in us and we are continually examining and improving our practices. Given the events of the past few weeks in Santa Rosa, I encourage you to ask questions and provide input. And if you do have questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Together, we can ensure that our kids are not only safe, but thriving at school.
The Healdsburg Unified School District has been seeking input from HUSD families and staff for our LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan) through a short survey. We would also welcome input from the Healdsburg community at large. If you are willing to take a few minutes to fill out our brief survey, you can access it here: tinyurl.com/99pt8cm6.
Chris Vanden Heuvel is Healdsburg School District’s superintendent
