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DC State Board of Education Expresses Sadness About Tragedy in Newton, Connecticut

Tuesday, December 18, 2012
SBOE urges conversation

Contact: Jesse B Rauch; (202) 741-0884

Washington, DC–The District of Columbia State Board of Education (DCSBOE) joins the nation in expressing our sadness and shock at the horrific events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this senseless tragedy.

As a community, we have a duty to work together to prevent this from happening again. At a prayer vigil, President Barack Obama stated, “Caring for our children is our first task. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right.”

We steadfastly affirm this statement. As the DC State Board of Education, we are committed to being a voice for our principals, teachers, parents and students and we will do whatever we can to keep the focus on our children’s safety.

As we go about our official duties, the DC State Board of Education will continue to support improvements to the safety of our schools – so that we can ensure that our schools continue to be safe, healthy places of learning.

This is a time for all of us to come together to hug our children, cherish them – and remind ourselves that as a community, we have work to do to ensure all of our children are safe and successful.

While most children and youth will cope well with the support and caring of their families, teachers, friends, and other caring adults, some young children may have particular difficulty understanding and describing their feelings and emotions. If you find yourself speaking to a child about this tragedy, we urge you to visit the National Association of School Psychologists’ website where they have produced resources for talking with children about the activities in Newtown, CT. You can review them at http://www.nasponline.org/.