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The purpose of this message is to provide the broader FCPS community with an update on an incident that occurred yesterday at one of our elementary schools and to clarify misinformation that may be circulating.
Yesterday afternoon a school employee took a class of fifth grade students off site as she used the “avoid” strategy in our Avoid, Deny, Defend (ADD) security drill. This staff member believed there was a concern for safety that caused her to act. The avoid strategy is one we train staff and students to use when they believe there is an immediate threat to student safety. We are grateful that this was a non-credible threat, but we know that the experience was upsetting for the students involved and our community at large. We regret that this happened.
FCPS targeted communication yesterday to our Green Valley Community, specifically. Two initial communications were focused on communicating information about the details as they were understood at the time and to ensure families knew there was no credible threat of violence at the school. In addition to the community message sent yesterday, school staff personally contacted each of the families whose children were with the teacher who moved them off site. Staff provided support and information to those families that we hoped could help them process the event with their children. The school and central staff also held a meeting this morning on site for parents of the impacted students to get additional information and services for their children. We have additional mental health staff at the school today and next week to work with any child or staff member who may need support.
FCPS is continuing to investigate to more fully understand what precipitated the teacher’s actions and to fully understand the sequence of events. This will allow us to determine any additional action steps that should be taken. FCPS does not share specific information regarding personnel issues.
We know that anytime there is an incident in our community it creates concern for families, staff, and students. We will continue to prioritize clear and timely communication so that we can ensure every person feels safe and supported during difficult experiences.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us as we strive to deliver the best educational program for our students.