Wiscasset School Department

October 27, 2023

Dear families and friends of Wiscasset Schools,

Over the past 38 hours, our State of Maine and state of mind have been turned upside down. Many of us are glued to the television set watching and waiting for closure to the horrific crimes committed on Wednesday night in Lewiston. Last night people across the country were transfixed on the scene in Bowdoin unfolding outside the suspect’s home, not 25 miles from our own homes here in Wiscasset and neighboring towns. Still the search continues without resolution.

Schools across the area elected to close for a second day today as our neighbors to the South and West continue to be under Shelter in Place orders from authorities. Here at Wiscasset Schools, the staff and Admin. Team met yesterday and made plans for potentially opening today; we created an ad hoc student support team that consists of our three school counselors, our school health professionals, our special education social worker and psychologist, and a contracted peer support counselor, to be in place to support students and staff when we return to school. We had conversations as a full staff at both buildings about how to address any student concerns. We prepared for a safe return to school, but acknowledged that if the investigation continued we would consider closing today, and that is what happened. We also talked about the weekend with hope that this investigation would be drawn to a close so that we can return to some state closer to normalcy on Monday.

Our teachers, support staff, and administrators are trained on best practices to keep our students and schools safe in the event of an emergency. We are fortunate to have both the Wiscasset PD, Lincoln County Sheriff, and emergency services right down the road, plus a School Resource Officer. Additionally, these professionals are familiar with our school buildings and they have worked together to help prepare our staff to deal with emergencies. Our teachers, support staff, and administrators are vigilant and wholly committed to the safety of our students and schools. We miss your kids and hope to welcome them back on Monday.

In the interim, we know as families you may need to process what is happening in a way that makes sense for you, so that your kids are able to feel as safe and secure as possible when they return to school. If you do talk to your children about what happened in Lewiston, whether it is about the shooting, mental health, or any grief and loss associated with those horrific events, our team of counselors and professionals here at school have curated a list of resources that you may or may not choose to look at. I am passing them along to you now and also want you to know that you can call or email me or any of our building administrators with questions or concerns about our return to school or our level of preparedness.

A decision about Monday will be forthcoming when more details are available. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Kim Andersson