Concerning Student Safety
Dear Parents/ Guardians:
Student safety inside and outside of our school is of the highest priority. We believe we have one of the safest campuses in the city. We did, however, have an incident off campus last week. Two students were accosted at the Eastern Market Metro Station by a group of young boys. Fortunately our students were not severely injured, yet their safety was of concern to us. Earlier in the year we instituted a number of actions to further improve student safety. We have added a few more in light of this incident.
Here are the actions we have implementedd
- Security staff and administrators patrol outside school up to Pennsylvania Avenue after school.
- We hired two off duty police officers to be present after school for 2 hours each day. They also are present for evening events including College Bound. They patrol with the security staff.
- We have provided a “safe place” at the Eastern Market Metro Station in front of Dunkin Donuts where our police officer and a school security staff are. If a student feels unsafe they can go directly there for help and assistance.
- We held a special assembly where our police officers advised our students steps they can take to be safer. (See below)
- First District Commander Grooms visited our school. The commander has contacted Potomac Gardens Housing Authority and security so that they patrol the gates across the street from our school.
- We will provide an escort or a ride to the metro to any student who has serious safety concerns.
- We have contacted the principal of Hine Jr. High School to set up a meeting with the First District Commander to create a team effort to address safety concerns.
Although we are taking actions that will provide safety for our students, it is important that your child also take measures to be safe. Students need to do the following:
- Students should go directly to the metro station or the bus stop of their destination. They should travel via Pennsylvania Avenue and not go through the side streets or the alleys.
- Use the Potomac Avenue Metro Station and get there by using Pennsylvania Avenue.
- Students should not hang out on 8th street, Eastern Market or Potomac Avenue Metro stations. They should join an after school activity at the school.
- Walk in groups to the metro areas.
- Report any incident, no matter how small, to one of our staff.
- Go to “safety place” or return to school if you feel unsafe.
We encourage and support our students to take part inn our after school sports and activities program. These programs provide a safe and healthy environment for our students after school. If our students participate in these programs and not hang out on the streets everyone would feel better and safer. Our school and our students, we feel, have already made a significant difference in our school neighborhood. We hope these steps mentioned above will not only provide more safety for your child, but also contribute to the overall safety and well being of the neighborhood.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or Mr. Spears, Vice principal.
Sincerely,
Garrett Phelan
Principal