NEWCASTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS / From the desk of Dr. Cathy Walker
Hello Newcastle Families,
In light of the recent school shooting in Minnesota and other tragic events across the country, I want to take a moment to address a matter that is always at the forefront of everything we do: the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff.
At Newcastle Public Schools, we understand that school safety is a shared priority between schools, families, and our community. I want to assure you that we have a comprehensive Emergency Action Plan in place. This plan includes protocols for a wide range of scenarios — including intruders, active shooter situations, behavioral emergencies, and natural disasters.
Just last month, an updated presentation on school safety procedures was shared with our Board of Education, reinforcing our ongoing commitment to review, refine, and strengthen our response plans.
Part of our strategic response to school safety involves the importance of anonymous reporting. You can find out more about our anonymous reporting platform on the school website, and you or your student can submit a concern there, by selecting the appropriate school site.
To pair with this, our district counseling team also recently reviewed the NPS protocol for assessing threats. This includes but is not limited to students who may harm themselves or others. It is also paired with a re-entry plan to ensure students return to an ideal environment rather than just returning to school without precautions in place.
Our district sent administrative representation, as well as members of our school resource officer team to train late this summer on cyber crime. There, the team learned how to better identify threats that happen online and through various threats, as well as how to appropriately investigate such matters, in order to better hold offenders accountable.
Finally, we are looking forward to providing a safe and enjoyable experience at our athletics events, as we continue to employ weapons detectors at our events. On Friday nights, you will see those devices, as well as our school resource officer team, various administrators, representatives from the Newcastle Police Department, and county sheriff’s office there to ensure the safest environment possible.
Please know that we are continuously evaluating our practices, training our staff, and collaborating with local law enforcement to ensure the highest level of preparedness. The safety of your children is our most important responsibility, and we are dedicated to doing everything within our power to protect them.
If you have any questions or concerns about our safety protocols, or if you’d like more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for your continued support of Newcastle Public Schools. Racer Proud, Dr. Cathy Walker, Superintendent
