Dear Potter Gray Families and Educators,
I try my best not to send out long letters or messages with lots of print. However, with recent violence in our great State and the tragedy in Florida I feel compelled, as Potter Gray’s Head Learner, to address the issue. The two most recent incidents give us all reason to pause and ask why. It weighs on our minds and this naturally steers us to the question: What if this happened at my child’s school?
As a parent and administrator, our access to 24-hour media coverage does nothing to help calm these fears. I can only imagine how vacant Marshall County must feel with news outlets moving on to the next school tragedy. This portrayal makes schools seem like scary, unsafe places, and this is highly unfortunate.
While our minds tend to fixate on the things that can go wrong, schools still remain great bastions of hope. Everyday students enter Potter Gray and meet smiling educators, smiling friends, regular hugs and celebrations. So much happiness and joy occur every day within Potter Gray’s walls. Lasting friendships take shape and students find their strengths and passions.
It would be disingenuous of me to offer 100% commitment that something horrific would never occur at Potter Gray. We do and will take all necessary precautions to be as safe as possible. All doors are clearly numbered, and an updated floor plan has been submitted to first responders. Potter Gray has BGPD officers that conduct frequent walk-throughs of the building and are on call in the event support is needed. While we have procedures in place we will continue to work with local agencies to make sure these procedures meet the most recent recommended practices. Additionally, school administrators and counselors will receive training in trauma-informed care in an effort to address the mental health needs of students.
Potter Gray thanks you for trusting us with your children. We are extremely honored and grateful.
Cordially,
Byron
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