April 15, Message from Supt. Weaver

Dear Oxford Students, Families and Staff,

 

I want to thank all of the district parents and high school students and staff that have attended the numerous forums held this week by myself and district administrators. Hundreds of OHS students have given their valuable feedback to our administrators, shaping our way forward. We still have additional student forum opportunities available for those still wishing to participate. Additionally, thank you to all who have already responded to the staff and parent surveys that were emailed on Wednesday as well. If you have yet to complete them, I strongly encourage everyone’s participation so we can gather information from our school community to help guide us in our decision-making. The surveys are open until April 26. Our OHS students will receive a safety survey and social-emotional learning survey at the end of next week as well to garner further feedback. Your input is extremely valuable to us as we work through these difficult times.

Since the tragedy on Nov. 30, we have engaged our community through meetings, phone calls, town halls, and surveys to listen and garner input, all of which have helped shape and drive our successful return to school plan and our school safety plans. We have also consulted with mental health experts, security experts, and local law enforcement in developing our plans and will continue to look to them in the future as we move forward.  Your continued input will help to shape our road ahead in the three-year recovery plan.

We have taken numerous specific and tangible steps to promote the physical safety and emotional well-being of our students and staff. Please review the links below for some of these examples in our communications with our district families, all of which are posted on the district and building communication pages on our website:

Our strong attendance rates of over 90 percent across all our schools are a testament to the resilience of our community, the dedication of our staff, students and families, the strength of our plan which was crafted with input from key stakeholders and experts, and our collective refusal to allow the tragic events of Nov. 30 to define us.

As part of our mission, the physical safety, and emotional well-being of our students and staff remain our top priorities. We continue to be grateful for the daily support of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Oakland County Schools, ESS security firm, and our district security personnel, mental health professionals from the Oakland County Health Network and EasterSeals.  Thank you to our Oxford High School students for their patience and positive attitude in so easily adapting to the security measures to enter the building each day to have their school IDs checked, clear backpacks scanned and leaving their sports bags and musical instruments in the lobby to be carted by staff to appropriate areas of the buildings.  Also, a big thank you to the numerous volunteers who continue to bring their therapy dogs to bring comfort and smiles to our students and staff.

Thank you for your partnership as we strive each and every day to foster a culture of compassion, understanding, and respect to heal together, educate, and support our amazing students to prepare them for success.

 

Sincerely,
Superintendent Ken Weaver