In Wake of CT Shooting, Local School Officials Say They 'Prepare for the Possibility Seriously'

Updated at 3:45 p.m. with comment from Mountain View Whisman School District.

It's a parent's worst nightmare.

Someone enters a school and harms vulnerable and unsuspecting children and teachers. That was the horrific scene in Newtown, CT on Friday, Dec. 14 where 20 children and six teachers died at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The unidentified shooter was found dead as well as another person off-site.

In Mountain View and Los Altos, school officials are communicating with nervous parents. Here's a letter sent to families by Barry Groves, superintendent of the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District:

We are all saddened by the horrific school shooting that occurred today in Connecticut. Our hearts go out to the parents and families. 

I want to assure all parents that we have in place safety and security procedures to protect our students and staff. At this time, our crisis counseling teams are prepared and ready to assist students, parents and staff in dealing with this tragedy. Additionally, our leadership and local law enforcement are working together to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

This is a good time for parents to discuss with their children the importance of speaking to a trusted adult concerning matters that they hear about in the media and online.

In closing, I would like to reassure you that all our staff is trained and well prepared to deal campus safety, security and student needs.

Barry Groves, Superintendent

Groves and Mountain View Whisman School District Superintedent Craig Goldman emphasized to Patch that local schools prepare regularly for the chance someone, an intruder, begins to do harm on campus.

"We do regular training with our police departments on dealing with possible dangerous intruders on campus including annual 'code red' drills," Groves said. "We take the preparation for the possibility very seriously."

This code red drill would trigger "specific training about locking down doors, staying out of sight etc.," he said.

"We also subscribe to a voice-dialing system that allows us to mass phone all families at once."

Similarly, MVWSD staff and teachers practice code red drills to ensure the safety of its nearly 5,000 students seriously.

"As a District, we have always made the security of our students our highest priority," said Goldman. "With this in mind, all of our schools engage in annual 'code red drills,' during which students and staff practice how to seek shelter and secure their classrooms."

"These drills are done in conjunction with the Mountain View Police Department, which is a dedicated partner in providing safe schools for our children," he added.

What do you think about the tragedy in Connecticut? How will you speak to your kids about this? What additional alerts do you think are necessary in case of a tragedy?