During lockdowns, keep nearby schools in loop

I am the director of a preschool in the Tamarac area and I am writing to share my concern for the safety of our young children.

There are people who have no conscience about the harm they are putting children in. We have seen that they will do anything for their own selfish reasons. As a result, there have been several incidents where public schools have been locked down for the protection of the students. These schools were contacted by local law enforcement agencies to alert them of potential dangers.

Our preschool is in the same neighborhood of several public schools and no one has ever contacted our preschool. We are also within walking distance of three banks, one of which has had several armed robberies in the past. If it wasn’t for concerned parents calling to alert us of a potentially dangerous situation in the area, we would not have known our children and school were at risk. We should not have to see flashing lights, and hear the Broward County Sheriff ’s Office helicopter circling over our playground to know that we need to lock down the school.

If there is a need to lock down public schools, why is no one contacting private child care centers and church schools also in the area? All schools and child care centers need to be included in an emergency notification system. This could not only be used for when criminal activity is in the area, but also for weather conditions such as tornado warnings or other pending emergencies. I am registered with our local BSO station, but by the time they send me an email and I have a chance to read it, it might be too late.

With the technology available, some type of computerized phone system should be put in place to notify all child care centers and schools of dangers and recommend actions to be taken by the schools. This could be similar to the phone system that the Broward County Public School System is already using to call all parents to share information.

Please find a way to help keep our smallest students safe when the world around them isn’t.

If it wasn’t for concerned parents calling to alert us of a potentially dangerous situation in the area, we would not have known our children and school were at risk.