June 30, 2016

Dear Members of The Woodstock Academy Community:

The Woodstock Academy Mission requires the leadership to continually work to provide a safe environment for all our
students. Over the last three years, we have taken many significant steps to ensure the safety of our students on our open
campus.
Research shows that when students feel safe, they focus on learning; their academic achievements increase. Recognizing
this, 83 cameras were installed on campus, an anonymous tip line was added to the website, a comprehensive
vulnerability assessment of the campus was conducted, all emergency procedures were updated, a School Security and
Safety Plan was implemented, an access control system on exterior doors was installed, and a Campus Safety Committee
was created.
Last week, after careful deliberation, the Board of Trustees approved an administrative recommendation for armed
security on campus, which will start with the 2016-2017 school year. This is the next logical step in the safety of our
campus.
Members of our current Campus Safety staff will fill this position. As outlined in Public Act No. 13-188, retired police
officers who maintain certification are qualified to carry a weapon. The Board of Trustees has decided to allow a
concealed weapon, which will not be visible to students or the community at large.
Once you strip away any initial emotional response to this change, which many of us had to do, and look at the facts, you
will see the reasoning for this recommendation. Research shows that any school shooting is over between 3-7 minutes
after it starts. Due to our location, it is possible that the response time for help to arrive could be as much as 15-20
minutes.
Another concern is that the first responders may be unfamiliar with our campus; this could further delay a response.
These factors convinced the administration and the Board to support the proposal.
Our relationships with our students, however, are the keys to preventing violence. A comprehensive Advisory Program (a
30-minute monthly meeting to discuss school issues and develop strong student/adult relationships) was created,
members of the administration and campus mental health professionals met for regularly scheduled meetings, and
significant hours of professional development were dedicated to training our staff on de-escalation techniques. All
members of the staff received National Incident Management System (NIMS) training, as well as active-shooter training.
Families expect that we will provide a safe environment and protect our students from any harm; safety is truly the center
of all these decisions. Based on the yearly survey data, over 90% of our students felt safe on campus, a significantly
higher percentage than the state average. We will continue to explore any way to protect our students and, if it is feasible,
we will put it in place.
We realize that you may have specific questions or concerns related to this decision, and an opportunity to discuss these
concerns and questions will be provided. Please know that you can contact us anytime during the summer and we will be
happy to discuss this new school safety initiative with you.
Thank you for your continued support of our program and mission.
Sincerely,

Christopher Sandford
Headmaster

Holly G. Singleton
Associate Headmaster