May 26, 2022

Dear GEC Community,

We are heartbroken and saddened by the horrific mass shootings that have taken place around the country and most recently, the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas yesterday and the racially motivated shooting in Buffalo, New York on May 14th. We as a community are tired. Tired of the tragedies and grief. We are tired of the constant attack on our safe spaces and community. We understand that each of us process emotions that surface from these events in different ways and want you to know that the GEC community is a place for you to bring up questions and rely on each other for support.

We assure everyone that safety is always of the utmost importance here at GEC. As we finish this school year, we will maintain safety drills and protocols, building walk throughs with our security team, and continued vigilance in our building and surroundings. We strongly encourage everyone in our community to always bring any concerns forward and to take small actions to maintain the safety of our building. This includes making sure all doors are closed when exiting the GEC space or going to the bathroom through the back door, continuing to follow all sign in protocols, and bringing forth any suspicions of unsafe behavior to a member of the GEC staff.

Our GEC community has navigated so much over the course of this year. We thank you for your commitment to ensuring the safety of our GEC community. Additionally, these resources from the National Association of School Psychologists might be helpful to you when processing these events and discussing them with your community and family.

Please let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or your family during this time.

Sincerely,

Dr. Chelsea Kirk
Executive Director
Chelsea.Kirk@goodwillexcelcenter.org
202-309-6615
www.goodwillexcelcenter.org