Who is Keeping Our Children Safe in Schools?

 

Screenshot (littlemiamischools.com)

As you may be aware, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in the early morning, a lockdown was initiated at Western Middle School. Reports state that a 19-year-old male, a former student at WMS, gained entry to the school through the front door while students were being dropped off and proceeding to their destinations within the school. The subject, after entering the doors unchallenged, made his way to the 7th grade bathroom and remained there until he was discovered. It is our understanding that until recently, Dr. Wax, who resigned prior to the incident, greeted students at the door every morning, presumably to ensure the safety of the entering students. However, since his resignation, no staff member had been at the door since his departure. It is our understanding that the Assistant Principle and several staff members are at the door now. This is extremely concerning because a) he was able to gain entry unchallenged, b) continued to be unchallenged as he made his way through the school, c) he was not discovered for over half hour or so and d) he could have been armed. This is unacceptable.

We would like the opportunity to address our concerns regarding safety and security of WMS:

1.      GPD responded to this incident in a timely manner and apprehended the subject. What is concerning is the timeframe between the subject entering the facility and being discovered. Timing is everything. In the time the subject remained in the facility undiscovered, and if he were armed, unimaginable things could have taken place including loss of life to children and staff and injuries, not to mention the trauma of the aftermath.

2.      Lack of Transparency: The questions that haven’t been answered yet are: why did the subject need to enter the facility undetected and remain in the restroom? What was his purpose? What was his intent? Was he there to harm children and staff? Was he there to meet with an underage student? If this is the case, did the underage student know of this ahead of time? Was this possibly a dry run for a future incident? The answers to these questions should be forthcoming. Parents and the public deserve to know what happened and how it could be avoided in the future.

3.      This is not the first occurrence at WMS. On February 24, 2024, WMS initiated a brief shelter in place protocol when a visitor forgot to sign at the front desk upon being granted access into the facility. Again, once entry is gained and unless the person walks over to the office voluntarily to sign in, there is nothing to stop them from proceeding to other areas of the school.

4.      There must be a review of safety and security protocols, awareness and continual training.

Dr. Toni Jones has not been forthcoming with information that parents should be aware of. There must be a level of accountability to parents, students and the public. Ultimately, holding Dr. Jones accountable is the responsibility of our ELECTED Board of Education and the public. 

The Board of Education must investigate and begin holding the appropriate individuals to a higher standard and accountable. We also ask that a special BOE open public meeting be held to obtain answers from everyone involved. Every school within GPS deserves to feel and be safe and protected.

Next BOE meeting is Thursday, April 25, 2024, at 7pm at Central Middle School.

Please attend and let's begin to hold our elected and appointed officials accountable.

https://www.greenwichschools.org/board-of-education



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