Keeping Hopewell City Public Schools Safe

We continue to want to keep you updated about ways that we can increase safety and security for our students. In the weeks since the tragedy in Newport News, we have seen several instances in which our elementary students have verbally threatened to harm other students with a gun when they are frustrated and we also have had a few instances when a fake/toy gun has been brought to school. In each instance, we have notified families in that elementary community. Especially in our current times, these are situations that can concern, even though in every one of these situations we have investigated them fully, together with the police, and found there to be no gun or actual threat. You have our full commitment that we take each such instance seriously and ensure that there is no threat, and also use appropriate consequences in the times these situations occur.

As we look for ways to continue to increase safety, we are soon launching a new measure - clear backpacks for all elementary students. We will provide more details on this soon, but we plan to provide a clear, see-through backpack to every elementary student by late March so that we can better ensure that nothing inappropriate is brought into our elementary schools.

We also ask for your help in talking with your children about how serious it can be to bring a toy gun to school or to say they want to "shoot" someone, even when they don't mean it and it is a sign of frustration. It is imperative that even our youngest students know and understand that these types of threats will be taken very seriously and could result in their removal from school long-term. Please help us to avoid this happening.

These are challenging times and we are in this together with you. We love our students and want each and every one of them to be safe and successful learners and individuals. If you ever have concerns or ideas for ways we can achieve this better, please don't hesitate to let us know. As always, we appreciate your partnership.