June 10, 2019

 

Greetings Smith Community,

 

For almost one hundred years, schools in our city have been built in the neighborhoods they serve to ensure a strong school-community connection.  This is one of the many strengths of the Dearborn Public Schools.

 

Like any neighborhood, events occurring in the area, beyond the school’s control, can unfortunately be perceived as happening in the school.  Social media can play a role in sharing inaccurate or misleading information throughout a neighborhood. Before we leave for summer break it’s important that I address a rumor about our school and share a few facts about school safety.

 

At O.L. Smith, like all schools in our district, we have a comprehensive school safety plan in place that includes practice drills for many different types of emergency situations such as severe storms or threats of violence. If we ever hear of any potential dangers to our school immediate steps are taken to work with central office staff, our school resource officer, and the Dearborn Police to determine the credibility of these dangers. The recent rumor regarding gang activity or some type of weapon being in our school is not true. This is an example of inaccurate information being shared without having all of the details. We have physically searched our school to ensure there are no dangers or threats in our building.  

 

We cannot control incidents that may occur outside of school but we are aware that these events can sometimes “spill over” into the school setting.  With this in mind, we will be taking steps these last few days of school to have an increased adult presence before and after school and our police department has shared that they will have additional patrols in the area.  

 

Our goal at O.L.Smith is to ensure all children and adults can learn in a safe and welcoming environment.  We do this through a variety of physical actions but more importantly by implementing several educational programs and teachable lessons.  Of course, we always want our community to know we are here and welcome open constructive dialogue. This is the best way to keep our school, our homes, and our community a safe place for all residents.   

 

I look forward to a safe end to our school year and celebrating the success of our students at O.L. Smith.

 

Regards,

 

Principal Jebril