The recent school shooting in Parkland makes me hurt inside. Obviously, I hurt for the families of the victims and the students and staff trying to move forward. I pray for them continually, as I cannot imagine going through it. Then, as the Head of School at CCS, it occurs to me that I must imagine it. As horrific and disturbed as it sounds, I must imagine the worst case scenario at CCS, and then I must do everything in my power to help us avert that kind of tragedy. Our Senior Staff regularly revisits our established security protocols and reexamines the measures we have put in place. We cannot, and do not, wait for tragedies elsewhere to have these conversations here.
Last summer, we contracted with a security firm to perform a comprehensive security assessment of our campus. In the assessment’s final remarks, it was noted that CCS is “way ahead of most schools that I have visited in the protection of their students and faculty'” That was encouraging, but we are far from complacent. The company also made a number of recommendations on which we followed up and continue to follow up. Further, the same company also provided active shooter training to our entire staff. We regularly perform lockdown, or active shooter, drills on campus and will continue to do so. Finally, as you know, we partnered with the Sheriff’s Department in January to position an armed officer on campus every day. Moving forward, as we contemplate details of the master plan and new facilities, issues of security are at the forefront.
Earlier, I used the phrase, “everything within my power.” As is the case with all of us, my power has a ceiling, as does my foresight and intelligence (hold your comments). We could set about building an absolute fortress of safety, and the wrong person with bad intentions could figure out a way to do damage. There is no “safe place” this side of eternity. I know I run the risk of “spiritualizing” a sensitive issue to which we must pay great attention, but I must speak truth. The only safe place is in the arms and assurance of Christ. We can know the peace that His love provides right now. We need not wait for eternity. Actually, we cannot wait!
Proverbs 18:10 “The name of theLordis a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
That being said, in terms of security, we have a responsibility to ask the questions, do the research, and provide the best we can on the CCS campus. An important component to this security involves our partnership with parents. This is where the family dynamic of CCS is so important. If you see or hear anything out of the ordinary, be sure to let us know. We will investigate without exception. Beyond that, we have to trust the Lord to protect our school. He has for 53 years. We will be prepared for the worst, and we will expect the best.
