As we collectively reflect upon this past week, I write to affirm the value that we, as a district, place on each and every one of the individuals who comprise our school family. The week began with the news of a tragedy, and the entire district will continue to mourn the loss of one of our very own family members. Resources to aid those in need of grief support have been, and will continue to be, available to everyone. On behalf of the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District, our collective condolences are expressed to the family and to the close friends of those involved in this sudden and unexpected passing of one of our students.
Aftermaths of tragic events can, at times, be as unpredictable as they are challenging to deal with. Such was the case this week, as the reaction to this heartbreaking news in our school family triggered the unfortunate creation and widespread circulation of a series of rumors and allegations that, after thorough investigation, were determined to be untrue. Adding to the complexity of the matter was the proliferation of the rumors on social media, while the district was still in the process of conducting its due diligence to validate, and ultimately, discredit them. Please know that anyone can come to me at any time to confirm information they learn about the school district as a preferred method to seek understanding or insight. I welcome your inquiries!
Please also know that as Superintendent, it is my responsibility to make decisions with the information I have at the present time, and to then communicate that information with the stakeholders involved. Our team made the decision to share the news of the tragedy, in the manner that we did, out of the utmost respect for the family. Our team then made the decision to share the news of the widespread rumoring as quickly as possible and to those who we believe would be most impacted about the plans the district was deploying. Looking back at our week, there are certainly ways that we as a district could have done things differently. Already, our administrative staff has convened to discuss this topic, and this, combined with the feedback from the community and engagement with our safety forces, has already revealed areas for immediate and definitive improvement. Please know that your children’s safety, has been and always will be, a top priority for all of us in the BBHCSD.
One specific point to address in this note is the fact that the BBHCSD received multiple notifications from parents concerned that they did not receive the district’s most recent email updates. Since we place a high value on regularly communicating important news with parents, we have taken immediate action to address each inquiry. Upon further review, it was discovered that many of the email addresses in question had previously, and perhaps inadvertently, unsubscribed from receiving email updates from the district. Perhaps this is true in your case. If you believe that you may have unsubscribed, and to ensure that you receive email notifications from the BBHCSD, you can easily and quickly sign up online. Simply visit the district website homepage, and under the Quick Links heading to the left side, please select Email Update Sign Up. Click the “Sign Up for Email Updates” button, provide the requested information, and you will be added to a database to receive district wide or school building specific email updates. Feel free to pass this information along with others as well.
To close, thank you to everyone who took the time to correspond with me this week. Your input is greatly valued. Trying moments, like those experienced this week have a way of revealing vulnerabilities. In the wake of these trying times, we must stick together, endure and persevere as one family. Together, the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City Schools family will grieve and heal with time, will continually strive for improvement, excellence and achievement in all of its endeavors and… continue our pursuit of becoming one family, one district and one mission.
Sincerely,
Joelle Magyar
Superintendent of Schools