Dear New Fairfield Public Schools Families,
We hope the first days of school have been enjoyable, engaging, and exciting for you and your children. In order to ensure the safety of our students and staff, all schools in New Fairfield, in collaboration with local agencies and security advisors, implement emergency drills as required by state statute. Scheduling and practicing a variety of drills throughout the year ensures that students and staff know how to respond should an emergency arise. We are committed to maintaining a warm and nurturing environment that welcomes students and provides peace of mind for families. We encourage you to reinforce our efforts to teach children the importance of preparedness, situational awareness, and personal safety.
In addition to fire drills, we are required by law, and Board of Education policy, to practice crisis response drills throughout the year. In an effort to continue to improve our preparedness, all schools across the district will be conducting the following emergency drills during the week of September 7th, weather permitting:
Emergency Evacuation/Fire Drill: Students and staff exit the building to assigned locations and await further instructions.
Shelter-In-Place: In the event of a severe weather emergency, staff and students are directed to shelter in locations away from doors and windows within the building until given the all-clear.
Lockdown: Staff secure all occupied rooms and move students out of sight from doors and windows. Students and staff remain in secured rooms until released. The specifics of this drill are discussed in an age-appropriate way at each school.
Drills will continue to be held periodically throughout the year at various times of the day, and typically, will be unannounced. Having safety drills at the beginning of the year ensures that all students and staff have had an opportunity to review and practice them. Our goal is to ensure that all students feel safe and supported as we work through these first practices. Safety remains our utmost priority.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
James D’Amico Christine Baldelli James Mandracchia Rob Spino
NFHS Principal NFMS Principal MHHS Principal Cons Principal