Dear SDoL students and families,
Happy New Year. We hope you had a fun and relaxing holiday. We are excited to have our students back as we approach the second semester of what is shaping up to be a great school year.
The School District of Lancaster remains committed to ensuring our students have a safe and welcoming learning environment where they can meet their full potential. Superintendent Dr. Keith Miles talked about our safety commitment, as well as the proactive steps we’ve taken as a district, a video you can view on our district website.
We can all do our part to keep our school safe. As part of our district expectations, school staff are in the process or have already completed a review of our Standards and Expectations for Student Behavior. This would also include a reminder to our students of the many resources and supports available to them should they have any questions or concerns. We also encourage our students to report any concerns to their parents/guardians. We rely on the partnership between home and school to maintain a safe and welcoming environment. Students may also report any concerns via the state’s Safe2Say tip line, which is anonymous.
With that said, we want to communicate clear expectations for student behavior as we close out the 2024-2025 school year. Threats of violence, physical aggression, fighting, drugs, and weapons possession are inappropriate and unsafe, and therefore, will not be tolerated. Offenses such as these may result in suspension, assignment to our alternative program (Buehrle), or may result in expulsion from school.
Please be aware that School District Policy 226 authorizes school officials to search a student’s locker, personal possessions, or motor vehicle parked on school property “when there is reasonable suspicion that the student is violating law, Board policy or school rules, or poses a threat to the health, safety or welfare of the school population.” If a student is personally identified as possibly possessing a weapon, our School Resource Officers (SROs) may also intervene to search the student.
We are happy to report that many of our students are reporting concerns to an adult, including our SRO’s or through the Safe2Say system. We are also seeing a decrease in threats of violence, physical aggression, fighting, drugs, and weapons possession. Thank you for your support in keeping our students and staff safe, while fostering a culture of belonging.
Please contact your child’s school directly with any questions or concerns. We appreciate the ongoing cooperation of our students and families as we keep our schools safe.
Sincerely,
Christopher N. Lopez
Assistant Superintendent of Student Services
School District of Lancaster