Safety & Security

Dear Bloomfield Hills Schools Families, Staff, and Community,

We are deeply saddened by the tragic violence that occurred in Parkland, Florida yesterday. Our hearts are with their entire school community.

As a parent, I grieve for the parents who lost a child yesterday. As your superintendent, I am committed to our work in safety and security, ensuring our schools remain the safest places for our community's children.

To that end, I can assure you that safety and security is something we work on, consciously, every day.

Our partnership with our local police is unique with Officer Cory Donberger serving as our District Security Officer. This position was created shortly after the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting. Officer Donberger is a Bloomfield Township Police Officer, but the majority of his time is spent with us, reviewing our safety and security procedures, making recommendations, and overseeing critical changes to our operations and emergency protocols.

In addition, as a district, we believe that the physical safety measures in our schools are reinforced by social and emotional support. We strive to support all students and help them to understand that there is always "another option." We will continue to work with the broader community to discuss issues surrounding mental health and the support our students need.

That said, I need your help. Though we work diligently, every day, to ensure our schools are the safest places for children to be, we can't have eyes and ears all over the community, all the time. If you should become aware of someone in our community who is in need of help, please say something. A United States Secret Service and United States Department of Education study found that in 81% of violent school incidents, someone other than the attacker knew about the plan but didn't report it. Your voice could make all the difference.

If you feel uncomfortable approaching a member of our team, please consider using the OK2SAY app/website. Since inception in 2014, OK2SAY has received over 10,000 tips, preventing multiple tragedies, including planned school attacks and student suicide. OK2SAY is confidential and available 24/7. To report a concern, please call 1-855-565-2729, text 652729, email ok2say@mi.gov, or visit their website www.mi.gov/ok2say.

Finally, we cannot address the issue of mental health alone and our efforts require legislative support and appropriate funding. Please consider reaching out to your legislator with the important concerns you've shared with me and my team. To find your representative, visit http://www.house.mi.gov/MHRPublic/frmFindARep.aspx and enter your house address. To find your senator, visit http://www.senate.michigan.gov/fysbyaddress.html and enter your house address. Governor Snyder's information can be found on his website http://www.michigan.gov/…/0,4668,7-277-70766-267869--,00.ht….

As a community, we are raising the next leaders of this country. Thank you for your ongoing partnership.

Sincerely,
Dr. Glass

Dear Bloomfield Hills Schools Families,

The recent tragedy in Florida left an impact on all of us and have left many wondering what to do to influence change. Across the nation, students are organizing and mobilizing. Activities and events are being planned by students on school campuses, in state capitols, and online.

We applaud peaceful student activism and are proud that the conversation about school safety is being led by the students themselves. We encourage students to be civic leaders and participants and respect their right to free speech.

To that end, we encourage our families to have conversations with their children about participation in non-school sponsored activities, including walkouts. Bloomfield Hills Schools respects students' First Amendment right to peacefully assemble, and we will not discipline students for the act of protesting as long as the protest remains peaceful and does not present a material or substantial disruption to the learning environment. Bloomfield Hills Schools will respect the rights of all students, whether they choose to participate or not.

However, the best way for us to ensure student safety is to know their whereabouts. That's simply not possible once they leave school grounds. Therefore, we are asking all high school students who wish to participate in a planned walkout to remain on school grounds with designated staff, who will accompany students to ensure their safety. High school staff will not personally participate in the walkouts, but will be on-hand to help supervise and maintain the safety of the demonstration.

If a particular high school student remains outside for longer than the organized window, refuses to stay with a staff member, or leaves school property, our regular attendance policies will apply. If this is your family's plan, please consider utilizing the BHHS attendance office to call in the absence prior to the event. This will help us plan staff ratios accordingly and maintain the safety of these planned activities.

For students in kindergarten through 8th grade, we will not offer a supervised walkout opportunity. If students wish to participate, they must be properly signed out and escorted from the building by a parent or guardian. They may return to school after the planned activity. If they return to school, they must be signed in at the main office. All parents, guardians, and other visitors on school grounds during the school day are subject to the school's rules and regulations.

Bloomfield Hills Schools is a public entity and, as such, we do not engage in protests. The role of our staff during these events is to keep students safe.

Thank you for your partnership in our school safety efforts.

Sincerely,
Rob Glass

Dear Bloomfield Hills Middle School 8th Grade Families,

As you may know, our high school, along with high schools across the country, is preparing for a planned student walkout on the morning of Wednesday, March 14, 2018, to honor the victims of the Florida school shooting and to advocate for safer schools. As the district has progressed forward with the many organizational details associated with preparing to support this student-led event, emotional safety is one of the many elements that we have been continuing to prioritize.

Bloomfield Hills Schools has an uncompromising commitment to safety. Given the current dialogue around school safety, we often think of physical safety. While we are certainly making plans for the physical safety of students on Wednesday, we also must ensure their emotional well-being. It’s important for students to feel supported by those who know them best and our high school counselors are integral members of that team. Accordingly, it is important to maintain a strong counseling staff presence in Bloomfield Hills High School on the day of the walkout for the safety of all BHHS students.

Unfortunately, this will require the rescheduling of the counseling visits to BHMS on Wednesday. I know this may pose an inconvenience to some of you and I sincerely apologize for that, but I hope you will find it illustrative of the safety and security decisions we are making across the entire district.

I am sure the staff at BHHS and BHMS will be reaching out to you in the coming days with a new date for the counselor visits. I know they are trying to make these arrangements before Spring Break.

Thank you for your understanding and your support.

Sincerely,
Dr. Rob Glass, Superintendent