As parents of children who attend Clover Garden School, we are very concerned with the safety of our students following multiple threats to the school made by a student. In light of this event and of the increasing number of threats and violence at schools across the country, we would like to initiate an open dialogue with the school administration and local law enforcement to discuss how we can work together to increase safety measures and improve crisis communication. The nationwide wave of school violence has rendered every school a potential target for devastation. We, as a school community, need to come together to learn from what has happened across our nation and do whatever needs to be done in an effort to safeguard the Clover Garden School campus. If a threat such as the one made on our school is serious enough to warrant an arrest, it is serious enough to discuss together, in person.

The rationale for this meeting is not to judge administration or staff, but to open lines of communication to develop a path moving forward to ensure safety for our students. We respect that the details of the particular case can not be discussed by the school administration for legal reasons. However, there are more general topics that the school administration can address while still complying with FERPA. We feel that having this meeting face-to-face will help reduce speculation, misinformation, and feelings of frustration. Specifically, we would like to discuss the following topics:

• Review of current safety policies and measures
• Expectations for parent/school communications
• Additional safety measures for school entrances

We would request that the following parties participate in this meeting: Clover Garden School administration, faculty, and legal counsel, Scott Drorbaugh (the Assistant District Attorney in charge of the case), Pat Nadolski (District Attorney), and the Alamance County Sheriff’s department. There are questions that many parents have that the school administration may not be able to address, which is why the District Attorney’s office and Alamance County Sheriff’s Department have also been asked to participate.The District Attorney’s office is aware of our concern and our desire to have this meeting. However, we also need the administration at Clover Garden School to agree to and participate in an open dialogue discussion.

The recent threat against the school presents an opportunity for us to create stronger measures to protect our children, and to develop a stronger relationship between parents and the school. Our goal is to use this meeting to build trust and create a stronger school community.

By signing this petition, you agree that open dialogue needs to take place in a “town hall” format, with mutual respect and consideration given to all participants. This petition and the signatures attached will be presented to the administration at Clover Garden School as well as to the office of Assistant District Attorney Scott Drorbaugh and Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson.