Dear Parents,

These are anxious and unsettling times for everyone. The combination of our nation's heightened state of alert due to the war in Iraq and our close proximity to the New York metropolitan area is causing safety related concerns for all of us.  Although we cannot predict what specific emergency event could occur, please be assured that our administrative team is working diligently behind the scenes to ensure the safety of your children while they are under our care.  As we did with the events surrounding September 11, we are again trying to strike a balance between security and normalcy in each of our schools.

Should an emergency occur, we will be in constant communication with local and county emergency management officials as well as the County Superintendent of Schools.  Our first goal will be to send the students home to their parents in the event of an emergency situation.  If parent pick-up is necessary, each building principal will sign out students at the main office unless otherwise directed by signs posted at the main entrance to the school. If that is not possible, we would shelter the children as directed by local emergency management services.  Within The Somerset Hills School District there is a sufficient supply of food to sustain us for several days.

"Terrorism forces us to make a choice.  Don't be afraid ...be prepared."  As we continue to be advised of heightened security alerts, our children's anxiety levels are elevated.  To help alleviate their fears, we encourage parents to develop family emergency plans.  For information on how to prepare your family you can access the web site of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at www.Ready.gov or the New Jersey Homeland Security web site at www.state.nj.us/njhomelandsecurity/.  If you are interested in acquiring information about facilitating a discussion with your child about war, you can access a parent's guide at www.cmionline.org.

The safety and security of the children entrusted to us each day is our highest priority.  Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or any of our building principals.  As always, you can log onto our website at www.shsd.org for the most up-to-date information on this topic.