AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR NEIGHBORS OF LEEDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 

Dear friends, 

We are collaborating to reach out to the Leeds community to establish a plan with neighbors should the Leeds Elementary School ever be faced with a serious safety concern. This need stems from discussions happening in schools across the country on how best to react to an active shooter situation in school or on school grounds. 

As you know, this is a tough topic to discuss with children because of the maturity level of the content, as well as the fear it incites. At the Leeds School, we have instructed our students to look to adults for direction and those directions may be, “run!” The obvious question is: run where?, and the obvious answer is: to safety. But where exactly is “safety?” 

That is where you, neighbors, come in. We would like to invite you to become partners in the safety and well-being of the children. We envision that if an active shooter were to infiltrate our community, kids could run into the nearby neighborhood and knock on doors knowing that they are turning to safe locations and that they will be cared for until they can be safely reunited with their primary caregivers. 

Please consider helping us to teach our students to trust our neighbors. Would you be willing to welcome strangers, whose average age is eight, into your homes and be willing to provide them with safety and a brief moment of social and emotional support? 

Together, let’s start this discussion between Leeds Elementary School and you: our neighbors. We look forward to a dialog on how to best meet this need that we hope will never arise. Please join us on Tuesday, December 11th at the Leeds School Cafeteria at 6:00 p.m. to plan with us. 

With thanks, 

Sal Canata, Principal, Leeds Elementary School
Alisa Klein, Ward 7 City Councilor