A Message from Superintendent Hinojosa

Earlier this week Patch published an article about the response of Cobb school officials to the Connecticut school shootings.

The following is a statement issued by Cobb County School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa about the same topic.

Dear Cobb County Schools Community,

We all are in shock and disbelief at the tragic event that occurred last Friday and our hearts pour out to the community of Newtown, Connecticut. As a result of this terrible, senseless act, many concerns about safety have carried over to our own community.

I want to reassure parents that Cobb County schools are as safe an environment for your children as you will find anywhere. We have state-of-the-art security resources available, including:

• Police officers assigned to every high school and middle school, and available to every elementary school on call;
• Electronic access control systems for all elementary schools;
• Surveillance cameras in every school.

In addition, all of our schools have safety plans that the principals review with their staffs at the beginning of the school year and as needed. They will be revisiting those plans this week. Finally, the school district’s Public Safety Department has requested assistance this week from all police agencies in Cobb County to step up patrols around our school buildings, so do not be surprised if you see an additional presence of police near your school.

Of course, no security measure available can protect against every conceivable threat, whether caused by nature or the rage of a disturbed individual. We must keep this random act in perspective, employ the resources we have, and be vigilant as we carry on with educating the students of Cobb County. In the aftermath of this horrible news, I want to thank our parents for reassuring their children that school is a safe place to be, and I want to thank our teachers and administrators for doing a wonderful job of comforting students and maintaining a positive and welcoming spirit in their schools.

I wish everyone a happy holiday season and a restful break, even as we grieve for those in Newtown, Connecticut.

Respectfully,

Michael Hinojosa, Ed.D.
Superintendent