With the Iraqi war in full swing, the country at orange alert and friends and family abroad, schools across the country have once again become faced with the complicated assignment of helping the nation’s children to understand and cope with a difficult topic.
“Our biggest responsibility is to reassure the students that they are safe,” said Oxford Schools Superintendent Virginia Brennan-Kyro. “All of our children need support right now.”
As a part of that support, administrators and teachers will be keeping the school days as routine as possible.
“In a situation like this where we are in unchartered territory with uncertain situations, especially since this war is unlike any we’ve had before, (the staff and administration) have to be calm and confident,” said Brennan-Kyro. “If the leadership is calm and confident, then the children will be calm and confident.”
School officials have also put together a list of guidelines to help the staff in comforting local students.
Just a few of the items covered include:
n Discuss children’s fears if they ask.
n Reassure children that they are safe.
n Understand that some students may be feeling confused regarding national security recommendations and feelings of patriotism.
n Above all, be vigilant and maintain a heightened sense of awareness. Always report anything suspicious to a building administrator.
The guidelines also address the large, and graphic, amounts of news coverage being broadcast on the war. Oxford Schools has decided to restrict televised viewing to the following:
n No live war coverage is appropriate within the elementary classroom.
n In general, no live war coverage is appropriate at the middle school level unless an exception is made with administrative input and the coverage pertains directly to a particular unit of study.
n And continuous live coverage of the war is generally not appropriate use of class time; however, live coverage of major news events can be appropriate. Teachers are expected to use their professional judgments for appropriateness of material, and graphic coverage of war zones is strictly cautioned.
In addition to implementing these guidelines, district officials also sent a letter home to parents explaining the different alert codes and school policies and procedures.
“We sent this letter home with every child,” explained Brennan-Kyro. “I have been meeting with my administrators and making sure that everyone is informed of the safety plans.”
The district currently has two group trips planned for the upcoming month: the band and choir are scheduled to visit New York April 9-13 and DECA is set to leave for national competition in Florida at the end of the month. A parent meeting has already been held concerning the New York trip and the status is still currently a go.
“We are monitoring the situation on a daily basis,” said Brennan-Kyro. “The students will be traveling by bus and it will be staying with them the entire trip so they can leave at any point. Also, we took an extra precaution by having the students stay in New Jersey instead of New York.”
“The parents feel very comfortable with proceeding, and I feel very comfortable because they will have that bus available to them.”
The Oxford Schools board of education recently removed a district-wide restriction on air travel for field trips. The board reserved the right to reinstate the restriction as situations warrant. Brennan-Kyro said that neither herself nor the board would hesitate a moment to cancel either trip if needed.