Principal shares letter regarding lockdown
Vian Elementary Principal Kathy Wingo said the following letter was sent to the families of Vian Elementary students on Jan. 24, following the school lockdown and arrest of a Fort Smith, Ark. man who is charged with a felony count of threaten to perform act of violence.
Vian Elementary Principal Kathy Wingo said the following letter was sent to the families of Vian Elementary students on Jan. 24, following the school lockdown and arrest of a Fort Smith, Ark. man who is charged with a felony count of threaten to perform act of violence.
“We wanted this information to be shared with everyone because we are aware that many of our families are not on social media or connected online,” Wingo said. “Also, we wanted to publicly share our gratitude for local law enforcement for their exemplary response to the event. We just can’t thank them enough!”
The letter reads: “The safety of your child is very important to all of us here at Vian Elementary. The lockdown that took place was a harsh reminder of the climate around us and that we must be alert to protect our children at all times. Since the incident our staff has taken time to discuss the event and our response to it. Our goal is to constantly improve and communicate with you about things that impact your child’s safety at school.
“On Jan. 19, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Department was made aware of an individual’s social media post that included vulgar and racially threatening language. The post showed the man holding a large gun and also included a statement that he was “Heading to the big V”. In response, Vian Public School was placed on lockdown by law enforcement and our superintendent. A lockdown secures the perimeter of a building to minimize exposure to a safety threat outside. During a lockdown, no person may enter or leave the building. Students and staff lock themselves inside classrooms, remain quiet and wait for further instruction.
“Our students and staff moved quickly and within minutes our hallways and playgrounds were completely clear. Administrators and law enforcement monitored cameras across campus and called and texted teachers to check on classrooms and made sure everyone was accounted for, inside and safe.
“As soon as the safety of all students and staff was confirmed, we turned our attention to communicating with families to make you aware of the situation. Although communication is extremely important, student safety must be addressed first. We hope all parents understand that we will always communicate with families as soon as everyone is safe and secure. Thankfully, our local sheriff’s department, city police, and School Resource Officer Robert Allen were extremely responsive. They deployed multiple officers immediately and we were able to reassure our students we were surrounded by friends who were protecting us. Our teachers and staff worked to keep students calm and reassured throughout the afternoon.
“The lockdown ended over two hours later when the Sheriff’s Department confirmed the individual who made the online threat was in custody. Staff were notified immediately and families were notified next. Ms. Kristy Keck and the kitchen staff quickly prepared food for hundreds of students who had missed lunch and many parents came to school to pick up their children. Our office and hallways were crowded during that time and we appreciate the patience of parents who rushed to school that afternoon. Thank you for taking the moment to sign your child out so that we can continue to make sure that every child goes home with the correct parent or guardian each and every day.
“We fervently hope and pray that we never have to endure such a situation again, but we will continue to stay prepared. Our school’s response during the lockdown received high marks from Officer Allen. We acted quickly, followed district procedure and kept everyone safe. However, we believe we don’t have to be bad at something in order to get better at it. Through feedback from parents and meetings with law enforcement, administration and staff, we have noted areas that will be addressed through ongoing school improvement efforts. We will address issues with intercom and door locking systems to make sure that every room on campus can hear announcements and be locked easily from the inside. We will take specific steps to increase speed and depth of communication to staff and families. We will examine details of our daily routines and procedures that can be refined to increase safety in the event of an emergency, and we will work with community partners to increase support for students and staff.
“Above all, we want to extend our sincere and heartfelt thanks to Sheriff Larry Lane and his officers, SRO Allen, Vian PD, and all the law enforcement officers that responded to the call to help our school. We are deeply grateful for you and we want you to know how much we appreciate your leadership, watchfulness, wisdom, skill and bravery.
“As always, if you have any questions or concerns, we invite you to call Vian Elementary at 918-773-5311. We are available each school day and enjoy hearing from you. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you in the education of your child and we look forward to a bright future for our students.”
