Dear Parent/Guardian,
Since the first day of school, safety has always been our leading priority. Having a small school environment in which students wear uniforms allows staff to easily recognize and greet students by name. In each of our buildings, there is only one designated main entrance, all other exterior doors are locked from the outside (but can be opened from the inside in the unlikely event of a fire or other emergency). We maintain an active camera surveillance system in both buildings, and each building has a designated security guard to monitor the building and grounds. We require all visitors to sign in and be escorted to and from destinations within the building.
On Tuesday, March 27, at approximately 8:15am, we became aware of a potentially dangerous situation at the high school building. The school immediately went into hold-in-place mode. Local police officers were notified, and they arrived within five minutes. They conducted a thorough investigation.
At around 9:30am the situation was resolved by the collective effort of the local law enforcement and school officials. Two students were charged with an Appearance Ticket, due to possession of a BB gun on the school premises. UAS students were safe at all time during this incident. As soon as the law enforcement officers left the building and the involved students were sent home, classes were resumed on the day’s regular schedule.
As communicated before, there are additional steps that we have already taken recently to strengthen the existing safety features at both buildings, as listed below:
- UAS contacted local law enforcement officials (both Utica and Frankfort Police) to review our safety protocol.
- UAS staff received Active Shooting Training with recent updates from UPD SWAT Team on March 26, 2018.
- UAS strictly enforces visitor sign-in and ID-check procedures in both buildings.
- UAS scheduled additional safety/lock-down drills in both buildings with the collaboration of Utica and Frankfort Police Departments.
We continue to enforce our safety protocols in both of our buildings and appreciate your continued partnership entrusting us with your children. Our dedication to families and school safety allows us to provide a positive, safe learning environment for all students and staff.
Administration
Utica Academy of Science Charter School
