Cardinal Weekly 

February 15

 VVE.EanesISD.net

Dearest VVE, 

Like you, I am flooded with a wide range of emotions after the tragedy in Florida. As a parent and an educator entrusted with the care of so many children and adults, I take the responsibility of the safety of our children, staff and visitors very seriously. I echo Dr. Leonard's sentiments and appreciate the leadership and support he provides in our collective efforts to keep our children and staff safe in all EISD facilities. 

My original message primarily served to inform and provide reassurance that our deliberate discussions and actions specific to campus and district safety match our tremendous desire for safe and prepared schools.  It is important that you know that safety is a full-time job at VVE and in EISD.  Staff are trained and your children are taught how to respond to alarms, announcements and directives. Fire drills are practiced monthly. Inclement weather drills and shelter in place drills (doors locked, ALL students/staff stay inside the building continuing activities as usual) occur twice a year. A formal lock down drill (lights out, doors locked, absolute silence) with local police is practiced once a year. SWAT and law enforcement training and active shooter drills are practiced in our schools over the summer months. We evolve, grow and improve continually in our safety practices, policies and protocols. 

As your mind races with questions about how schools are protecting our children, I want you to know that the daily practices and serious attention given to safety at VVE allow us to be more prepared and proactive. The very practices that you may sometimes feel are inconvenient or impersonal are ultimately designed to create an environment where we can rely on patterns of behavior. Consistency in patterns makes it easier to identify when something or someone is out of place. For example, the car/bus drop off routine in the morning is designed to improve traffic flow and get you to work on time. In addition, the staff member holding the stop sign and directing you where to let your child out of the car is purposeful. He/she is looking for patterns in behavior and making eye contact with children and the adults dropping off each day. Wonder why I stand on the island at car duty every single day for the last 13 years? It's not just for the thrill I get from using the bullhorn. I serve because this daily routine allows me to see, hear and respond to any change in routines. Disappointed that only students and staff are permitted upstairs each morning? Monitoring the adults entering our building and limiting access to students are key to recognizing familiar faces and knowing who is interacting with children in our school. These are just a few examples of our deliberate focus on safety. Naturally, there is so much more to the physical safety of our building (locked doors, cameras, mirrors, etc.). 

As my thoughts evolved, I kept circling back to the necessity to discuss more than safety protocols, gun control, metal detectors and bullet-proof glass. It's not my place, nor am I comfortable engaging in political debates as your child's principal; however, it is my responsibility and life mission to create a school and support an educational system that values connecting with children (and human beings of all ages). I believe our greatest asset and key to success in EISD is the parental involvement and connectedness of our community. We know one another. We go to events together, sit on bleachers together, and play in the parks and lakes together. We serve, worship and give together. Our children are connected to not only family units, but a community that expects our presence and participation. 

Where am I going with this? I believe that we must open and continue the conversation about connectedness when we discuss school safety. I want us to be bold and courageous as we discuss how to continue learning and living in a safe community. 

I want to celebrate VVE parents for serving as first responders every day. I have observed first-hand your desire and ability to seek, comfort and connect with those in need. You clearly value and seek connectedness. I encourage you to take note of what makes our community positive and strong. Please continue noticing patterns and share when things are out of place. Continue noticing your neighbors. Continue loving and supporting one another. 

With all of this said, we have a wonderful opportunity to come together next week. Please join us Thursday, February 22, for International Day & Open House Night. The cafeteria will be open from 5:00-7:00 pm. Classrooms will be open from 5:30-6:30 pm. Bring food and join us in celebrating our diversity and similarities as we connect with family, friends and neighbors. Connected, engaged and loved human beings are our best allies in providing safe schools for our children. 

Most respectfully,

Jennifer Dusek

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