Students are safer

To the Editor:

I would just like to take this time to commend Graniteville Preschool, its principal Mrs. Maria McAfee and its wonderful, attentive and caring staff on a job well done regarding a sensitive subject matter. You see folks, unless you have children in a school system nowadays, you don’t truly realize what these children are faced on a day-to-day basis.

The harsh reality is we now have to train our children in lockdown drills for their safety. Is it good to know? Absolutely. Are they taught with the hopes of never having to use them? An even more absolutely. However, this is the way of the world and we need to buck up.

That being said, every school is required to do so many drills per year along with the normal fire drills. This is where the commendation comes into play. Not only do we parents receive an email stating that sometime in the next week or two we will be having a lockdown drill, preparing us, on the day of the drill as soon as it is finished we receive an email stating that the children have participated in a lockdown drill that morning, and it was only a drill and everyone is safe. SAFE. As a parent those are the best words we can hear.

The fact that not only do they take the time to teach our children how to be safe in an unfortunate event, they let us parents know that the children are safe. Do you know that some school districts don’t even let parents know this happens? I’m talking nothing, until the kids come home and casually state, “Oh yeah, we had a lockdown drill” over dinner as casually as, “Please pass the ketchup.”

This principal, this staff, this district has always made information, communication and resources very readily available to parents. And for that, as a preschool mom, I commend them. They are a blessing to our everyday life. Thank you, Mrs. McAfee and staff, we love you.

Kylene Poeira

Johnston