This message was sent to all families and staff of Chesterfield County Public Schools on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
We know that safety is top of mind for all of our CCPS community, and recent events in our school division and across the country ensure that it will remain there. For the School Board, there is nothing more important than safety.
As we have shared with our CCPS community, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, a student was stabbed and Chesterfield Police charged three students in connection to that incident.
At the School Board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8, Board Members addressed what happened and the response. Watch the comments here.
An event like this has a lasting impact. We are naturally driven to ask questions, to evaluate, to consider.
We are fortunate to have a strong partnership with Chesterfield Police.
Every middle and high school in our district has a school resource officer on campus, trained to work in educational environments. Additionally, we have school security officers in every school.
Individualized emergency response plans, and safety planning for every school and at every level of our school division are in place. An overview with more information about safety and security measures can be found on the school division website.
Our school division is committed to continuously reviewing and enhancing school safety measures and protocols. This includes looking at items like clear backpacks, weapons detection systems and door alarms. All of these things are part of our ongoing safety evaluations.
At our September school board meeting, Interim Superintendent Dr. Murray announced that our school division leadership had begun the process of evaluating the possible implementation of weapons detection systems. Staff have conducted site visits with other school systems to observe weapons detection systems in action and to gather more information.
Information will be shared as it is available regarding the safety measures that are being evaluated. There is nothing more important to our School Board than ensuring a safe environment for our staff and students.
Respectfully,
Ann C. Coker
Bermuda District
Dot Heffron
Clover Hill District
Dominique R. Chatters
Dale District
Steven A. Paranto
Matoaca District
Lisa Hudgins
Midlothian District