The following letter was published on the Tierra Lildna email list, and will be going home via hardcopy with all middle school students today, including those attending CLC. I believe the letter will also be published on the Central and CLC email lists.
December 18, 2009
Dear Parents,
Earlier this week administrators became aware of incidents of student misconduct involving middle school students. Based on the nature of the matter, it was referred to the San Carlos Police Department for investigation. That investigation is ongoing, and the District is cooperating fully with the police. While we understand and appreciate that you, as parents, would like to know more details about the current situation, privacy laws prevent us from providing those at this time. However, we do need to make something clear. The information in today’s Daily Post is factually incorrect, as the alleged assault did not occur at TL or on San Carlos School District grounds.
We want to assure you that all our schools have numerous practices and procedures in place to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment for children, and that issues, when they arise, are dealt with promptly and fairly. We involve the police when illegal or potentially illegal activities occur because we believe tolerating such behavior seriously undermines the learning environment to which our students are entitled.
You can help to keep our schools safe by maintaining open communication with your child and reporting any concerns that arise about student safety to school administration.
This is a sad occurrence, particularly at this time of year. I know that parents will want to know all the details right away, but I’m asking you to hold off on pressing that demand for information until the current investigations are completed. The privacy and defense rights of the victim and the alleged perpetrators need to be respected.
I would also ask you to remember that not everything you read, whether online or in a newspaper, is necessarily accurate or, for that matter, complete. At times like this there always seem to be more people recounting “facts” than there are facts available to share.
Finally, I’d like to recognize our middle school site and district administrators for their diligence, sensitivity and dedication in handling this situation as it evolved. You all did yeoman’s work, under difficult and fluid circumstances. Make sure you take the time to recharge over the holidays!