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Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

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Sept. 13, 2024: The following is a message from CHCCS Superintendent Dr. Nyah Hamlett:

Like you, I continue to be saddened by last week’s tragedy in Winder, GA, where four people - two teachers and two students - were killed in an act of gun violence at school. At least nine others were injured, with countless others suffering social and emotional wounds that may never heal. 

Then, just this week, four schools in CHCCS, plus others in North Carolina (and beyond) were named in what later were revealed to be non-credible social media posts that referred to acts of school violence. Two juveniles were arrested in the Charlotte-metro area related to these or similar posts. (Note: CHCCS staff and families whose schools were directly connected to this situation received messages from us earlier this week.)


Today I want to broaden our communication and keep everyone informed on the school security/safety measures in place here in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. While I’m careful, for safety reasons, not to mention every protective measure, I’d like to demonstrate how seriously we take the responsibility of creating a culture of safety and wellness for our staff and students.

What we do:

  • Partner with Chapel Hill and Carrboro police to either place School Resource Officers at school, or, assign SRO’s to cover multiple schools in close proximity to one another.
  • Standard Response Protocols: A clearly defined set of responses designed to keep students and staff safe in the event of an emergency.
  • Door security: The expectation that interior and exterior doors have a lock that is engaged at all times in case of emergency. Exterior doors are monitored during periods of high use, and exterior doors must never be propped open unless an adult is physically present at the door.
  • Check-in and check-out procedures: New kiosks at every main entrance that track school visitors and run background checks on all individuals who enter a school.
  • Cameras: New, high-definition surveillance cameras covering the interior and exterior of school buildings.
  • Communication: Staff have access to several different methods of emergency communication both within their building and with 911 response. 
  • Monitoring: Administrators are required to review and assess their building’s safety and adherence to these expectations on a routine basis.
  • Additional signage to make it more clear that the public use of school fields, tracks and playgrounds is not permitted during the school day.
  • Provide staff, students, families and the general public access to an Anonymous Tip Line to share information and concerns confidentially.
  • We established a new, annual Safety Summit where the public is invited to learn and provide feedback on CHCCS security measures, including roles, responsibilities and the relationships between school staff and public safety partners.

How we train:

  • District and school-based leaders (principals, assistant principals, district administrators) participate in summer training including daily procedures and emergency responses.
  • School leaders (principals, district administrators) keep skills fresh by participating in “table top” drills where emergency preparedness is tested under simulated pressure.
  • School-based leaders provide Standard Response Protocol training at the start of each school year. The training is then practiced by staff and students during annual drills. 
  • Year-round, all staff receive training on the importance of door security and emergency procedures.
  • Students are educated on the importance of door security, including age-appropriate lessons on the significance of school safety.

Staff and student support:

Our School Support and Wellness team provides a variety of resources to our school administrators, counselors, psychologists, social workers, mental health specialists and nurses. Additionally, some of these resources may be helpful for use at home, too.

Many of our students, staff, and families are engaged in general discussions to support the social, emotional and mental health needs of themselves and those around them. Allowing students to express their feelings and to have meaningful discussions allows students to know that the CHCCS community will always have a trusted adult who is able to support them.

Please also help us encourage students to share information when they feel unsafe, or when they know of a potential safety issue at school. Aside from speaking to a trusted adult, another way to do that is by using the “Anonymous Tip Line” (also on every elementary school’s website) or, the “Say Something” anonymous reporting system (also a link on our middle and high school websites.)

Your input and involvement are always welcome and appreciated. If there’s more you’d like me to know, please contact me at superintendent@chccs.k12.nc.us and our Safe Schools department at safeschools@chccs.k12.nc.us. 

Sincerely,

Nyah D. Hamlett, Ed. D.
Superintendent