AFFTON SCHOOL DISTRICT 8701 Mackenzie Road Saint Louis, MO 63123-3496 314-638-8770 _afftonschocla.net November 14, 2014 Dear Affton Students, Parents and Staff, Affton School District administrators, teachers and staff plan and prepare throughout the year to ensure that students can lear in a safe environment every day. As St. Louis prepares to hear the impending Grand Jury decision in the Ferguson case, please be assured that we have been relying upon our long-standing partnerships and open lines of communication with the Affton Southwest Precinct of the St. Louis County Police, which will help us to keep our community better informed and allow us to make educated decisions. Based on our district’s geographic location and conversations with local law enforcement, we do not believe that the Affton community will be directly affected by protests. However, we realize that individuals will respond differently, and also that parents and family members may work in areas that could be affected. Affton has plans in place to address any issues that may result. Here are some important reminders that may answer questions you may have following recent public and ‘media attention related to this event: © The timing of when the public is made aware of a pending announcement will have a significant impact on what, if any, changes we make to our school schedule, © Please have a plan for picking up your child(ren) from school should we need to close schools early, © Keep in mind that dismissal procedures may be different should we close due to safety concems. Specific details will be outlined in any closing announcement. © Students may be kept at schoo! until they are picked up by an adult who has previously been identified on the emergency contact form that parents are asked to complete at the beginning of each school year. © Students who biked or walked to school may not be allowed to bike/walk home. ¢ The district has been in contact with officials from the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation (VIC) to discuss multiple contingencies to ensure that buses can run their normal routes and we can safely transport our students back to their homes in the City of Saint Louis. © Should a VICC bus not be able to complete its normal route, or if'a student does not have a safe place to go when dropped off at his/her normal stop, plans are in place to retum transfer students to Rogers Middle School © The district will have staff available to stay with students and will work with VICC administrators to contact parents and guardians to coordinate transportation for any students brought back to Rogers.© Going forward, the district will consider the location and timing of any upcoming field trips and may either reschedule or cancel scheduled trips. We will do our best to provide advanced notice of any changes. © After school and evening activities will be cancelled should an announcement occur during the school day or in the late aftemnoon/early evening. ‘© Consider that you may need to use an alternate route to get to school, or your child may need to use an altemate route to get home, as increased traffic could obstruct your normal route. © Closing and emergency notifications are sent via phone calls and texts through the district's parent notification system (SchoolReach), and posted on the district’s website (htipllafftonschools net), as well as our Facebook page and Twitter account. The district also posts school closings on the following radio and television stations: © Radio - KMOX (1120 AM) © Television - KTVI (Channel 2), KMOV (Channel 4), KSDK (Channel 5), and KPLR (Channel 11). Please know itis our intent to provide normalcy for our schools at all times, and we will stay vigilant to any news that potentially impacts our community. As always, in the event anything changes in our daily routines or plans, we will utilize all available means to communicate with families and keep everyone fully informed. Our first and foremost priority will always be the safety and security of ur students und staff. Sincerely, MicKEIMA. Dr. Steve Brotherton Superintendent