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• 2025-2026 Board of Education Adopted Budget

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Dear Staff and Families,

I am writing to share important information regarding security and home communications.

Our longstanding safety and security practices include regularly scheduled meetings, at least quarterly during the school year, with district administrators, health and wellness personnel, school security officers, local law enforcement, school resource officer, emergency management, town selectman, business, facilities, and technology staff, to review security logs and discuss any corrective actions that may be needed. To date, each school has conducted a minimum of six drills, both fire and lockdown. During the drills, staff implement the required protocols and administrators rate each drill’s effectiveness to ensure that safety procedures are followed.

We have begun to update the exterior school entrances by installing a new camera and buzzer system so that anyone who is not a current employee is vetted twice before being allowed into a building during school hours. This includes presenting government-issued identification that is processed through the Raptor Visitor Management System. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

I am offering in-person and virtual sessions to further discuss any questions or concerns about school safety and security. The dates and locations of these sessions are provided below.

• Monday, March 3 at noon – In person at MOC, 1 Plains Rd.
• Tuesday, March 4 at 2:00 p.m. – Virtual
• Wednesday, March 5 at 7:00 p.m. – Virtual

I would also like to inform you that although there are news reports on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent activity throughout the nation, our local law enforcement reiterated that the focus has been on high crime urban areas, border states, and locations that the previous administration had already identified. All administrators know that anyone who attempts to request student documents or entry into a building will result in direct communication with me, and I would involve the district’s attorneys. This is the protocol that has been recommended by the CT Association of Boards of Education (CABE).

Our district’s commitment to safety extends beyond our walls as a team of middle school teachers, Ms. Akehurst, Ms. Braza, and Ms. Rafala, organized and presented a three-part series on the dangers of the digital world for all families in the district. This included a session with Scott Driscoll, president of Internet Safety Concepts, who provided details regarding security features of social media platforms that are very popular, including Instagram and TikTok. Mr. Driscoll confirmed the alarming numbers of cases of youth victimization. There are predators worldwide who infiltrate social and gaming platforms to target children and adolescents. This includes instant messaging platforms that are specifically designed for juveniles, including Roblox, Minecraft, and Discord, as well as video-sharing platforms like TikTok. I share this information not to alarm, but to inform you and urge you to utilize safety features and increase monitoring of your child’s activity in the cyber world.

I would also like to share that we are fortunate to have Dr. Ronald Gross, Professor of Surgery and former member of the National Committee on Trauma, who has been visiting our high school health classes and providing the Stop the Bleed training. In addition, we are grateful that he has offered to train our staff, which is already underway.

I would like to recognize and thank the East Haddam Youth and Family Services who recently asked us to mail The Parent Handbook, focused on social media, vaping, anxiety, depression, drugs, alcohol, and gaming concerns, to the homes of all our current 6th and 9th graders. This handbook includes valuable information including warning signs and important tips to keep our youth safe.

Regarding communications via ParentSquare, the local recreation department and other groups, such as our parent organizations, utilize this platform for distribution of information. The school district does not endorse or partake in planning the functions. ParentSquare is a vehicle for sharing the information.

Thank you for your partnership and continued support. Please feel free to reach out to my office at any time with any questions or concerns.

I hope that you and your family have enjoyed this short winter break.

Respectfully,

Teresa DeBrito

Dr. Teresa DeBrito
Superintendent of Schools