February 28, 2008

Dear Parents, Students and Stakeholders,

With the recent tragic events involving teenagers whether on the high school or college campus or on the roadways safety is on everyone's mind. Some events are criminal in nature and others are terrible accidents.  I feel it is important to comment on the current efforts made at Emmett O’Brien Technical High School to ensure the safety of our students and our staff.  As many of you know, I like to anticipate problems before they occur.  I operate proactively.  Our school is a safe school and both I and the faculty are committed to maintaining our safe status.  To do this we often have to place school rules above what is convenient or a societal trend.

We have asked every student to refrain from wearing hooded garments in the building, carrying backpacks and purses to class, bringing cell phones and all electronic equipment to class or school.  The students have had trouble following the simple the handbook rules in order to ensure compliance, we must move on to the next step and we need parental support.

The hooded garments if worn must be stored in lockers.  Hoods can carry weapons or drugs and can be used to mask drug use. News articles quoting Shelton’s Police Sergeant Ben Trabka of the Valley Drug Task Force and Youth Office demonstrate evidence about how our children can “move and use” contraband through schools. Every parent and every teacher that I have spoken to over the last month is extremely concerned about the growing heroin use in the Valley region.  If we can stop one student carrying it through our halls that is compelling enough for me to follow and strictly enforce the handbook dress code.  Ask any parent from Shelton, Milford, or Naugatuck who has lost a teen or young adult in the past year to the drug if taking strong measures in schools is a waste of time and I know that they will tell you –“no and do everything that you can to stop transport and use”.  Sadly, even nice kids can be pressured by peers to become involved with alcohol or drugs even narcotics, including prescription drugs. That is a fact that I am all too well aware of.  An educator who fails to take practical steps to address even such apparently “minor” school rule issues as wearing “hoodies” can find themselves facing a myriad of troubles when a student is found using the “hoodie” as a cover for drugs.

Cells and cameras are a very real and growing problem here and everywhere.  Inappropriate locker room photos have been circulated throughout other high schools.  “You-Tube” has been used making such embarrassing situations public.  Rest assured, teachers have been advised to take increasing supervisory measures with regards to open and large spaces in and around the school.  Increasingly students are texting each other instead of doing their schoolwork.  Some parents are even contacting students on cellular phones during the instructional day.  I asked parents and relatives to please stop and I had asked for support earlier in the school year and a few parents did tell their child to shut the phone off and store it.  Please use the following personnel phone lines to deliver messages of an urgent nature to your son or daughter, please do not disrupt the instructional day for others by calling into classes on cellular lines.

If your child requires items from a pack or purse he/she will be allowed to access their locker to get the item or see the nurse or administration if help is needed.  If you have questions or concerns about school safety please feel free to contact me at lisa.hylwa@ct.gov  and I thank you in advance for your complete cooperation in all school safety matters.  I know that we all want to keep students safe and be publicly lauded for the good work that we are known for.