Ridgewood superintendent, mayor respond to tragedy
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
By DANIEL FISHBEIN
COLUMNIST
Note: To underscore their community-wide commitment to protect your children and safeguard schools, this month Ridgewood Superintendent Daniel Fishbein is sharing this space with Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn.
The winter holiday season should be a time of joy, happiness and peace, but this year a veil of uncertainty has dimmed our outlook as we reflect on the tragedy and insanity that occurred in Newtown, Conn. At the heart of our thoughts, alongside our sorrow and disbelief, we all no doubt share a common concern that takes form in the following questions: Could this happen in Ridgewood? And can our children be really, truly safe at school?
As community leaders and as parents of children in the Ridgewood Public Schools ourselves, we want to assure you that our district’s students and staff are safe and that we are doing everything we can to protect them and keep them from harm’s way. In loco parentis: This phrase, which means that we assume the parental responsibilities for your children when they are in our care, is one that we take very seriously.
In the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy, from the White House on down, we’ve been reminded many times over that the first and foremost priority of any school system is to safeguard its children.
