Hawai’i School Officials Ensure Security After Mainland Massacre

By Wendy Osher

The Hawaii State Department of Education Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness Branch this morning met with Honolulu Police Department officials to review security procedures for the state’s public schools following the shooting tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

The meeting with law enforcement was prompted following the morning massacre that killed twenty students and seven adults.

“All of Hawaii’s public schools have emergency procedures in place and today our teams revisited those procedures with a heightened awareness,” said State School Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. “While this tragedy is incomprehensible, all of our schools have counseling services available for students, parents, and teachers who may need them.”

This weekend marks the start of the winter break for Hawaii’s public schools.

If parents and/or students are in need of counseling services during this time, they are asked to contact their school or the DOE for assistance at (808) 586-3232.

The following links were provided to assist the public with helpful resources for addressing a crisis with children:

http://crisisguide.neahin.org/crisisguide/after/mentalhealth.html

http://www.apa.org/topics/violence/school-shooting.aspx

***Supporting information courtesy Hawai’i Department of Education.