Response from CPS, Teachers

Allyson Garth and Shiv Malhotra
March 5, 2018

CPS Response: 
     After the recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) released a press statement in order to inform and reassure parents and students about school safety. 
     Laura Mitchell, the CPS superintendent, reminded students and parents that, at the start of the 2017-18 school year, a task force was formed with the Fire Department, Cincinnati Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security to provide any suggestions regarding the safety of CPS schools.  This task force’s purpose is to use insights from other violent situations to strengthen the safety of the schools across the district, and strengthen the comprehensive security system already set in place.  
      The current system for preventative drills used in CPS is the A.L.I.C.E. system, that stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.  
Teacher Response: 
         Michael Sherman, a theater and stagecraft teacher, wore white on Feb. 21 “to support the victims of the Parkland shooting.”  He then went on to further state that he believes “gun violence is a fixable issue” and “it is absolutely devastating” that we have to think of putting extra safety measures in the school. Continuing, he says “I think it’s more about raising awareness” and “I hope some tangible change can happen.” 
     Elizabeth Ormsby, a history and government teacher, says “what frustrated me the most is that when I heard the news, it didn’t sink in because it was another school shooting.”  She then says that because of the similarities WHHS has to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, “there is more need to make the students feel safer.”  However, in light of recent events, she states, “I think the most important thing we can do is to continue to draw attention to the problem.”