Here’s the 1 Thing You MUST Do If You Are a Parent of a Student

Tuesday was a day that was a parent's worst nightmare. A credible threat and lockdown at MDI High School. Thankfully no one was injured, but nerves were frayed, and there was frustration.

Now let me tell you that it looked like everything that the school and students had practiced in lock down drills worked as close to perfectly as possible. I am sure there will be a thorough debriefing and review of things that went well, and things that could be approved.

When a school is in lockdown the office staff can't answer the phone. Now, they DID send out numerous text alerts, but not everyone received them. So as a parent, here's the 1 thing you MUST do this week. You MUST communicate with the office and make sure they have your current cell phone number and email.

When there is an emergency, a no-school announcement, a delay, etc. schools will send out text messages! If they don't have your number, you're not going to get the information! It's as simple as that!

Those text blasts are an easy way for the school to communicate quickly with everyone necessary!

What else did I learn from today?

• Life is short. Don't go to bed mad at each other. Make sure you tell everyone you love them before they leave for the day. Give each other a kiss good-bye. You expect that you'll see everyone again later, but days like this make you wonder.
• Be careful what you share on Facebook and other social media platforms. People were desperate for information and in a void, were consuming everything, the speculation with the facts. Just like you wouldn't cut a piece of wood without measuring twice, take an extra second before sharing something or writing something on Facebook or Twitter.
• Be kind. Everyone and I mean everyone was doing their best today. The number 1 goal of all the teachers, students, police, fire, park rangers and more was to keep everyone safe, and they did so under enormous pressure.
• Counselors are going to be available Wednesday at the school for both students and staff from Noon to 2 and throughout the day on Thursday. If you feel the need to talk with someone about your experiences or what you are feeling, do it! There's NO SHAME!
• Students you should be very proud of yourselves and how you acted throughout the day.
• Now's the time to come together even more. Continue to look out for each other. Not only your classmates, but your teachers, staff, your parents. Smile at each other. Talk to each other. Support each other.

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