Letter to Editor: Thanks for the smart and fast decisions

To the Editor:

It is nerve wracking to live in a society where we have to worry about sending our children to school because someone might just show up with a gun and start claiming lives. On the 7th I got my first glimpse of  how much those fears sit in my mind when my son was one of the students effected by the lock down due to a potential threat.

I was working when I got the alerts via e-mail, text, and phone call that if my child was using the bus I needed to go to the Spartan Community Center. I went and then spent a little over an hour and a half waiting to find out if my son was there or if he had made it to school and was in lock down there. It was a TOUGH time to sit and wait and worry.

However, I want to thank the City of Shoreline, the Shoreline School District, the Shoreline Police Department and all the people who didn't flinch during this situation but made smart and fast decisions to keep our children safe and to keep us informed as much as they could every step of the way. Everyone I encountered was friendly, courteous, as informative as they could be, and understanding. The system that is in place worked. 

My first grader shared his thoughts and fears with me and although he thought it was scary to be changing the rout from school to somewhere else he was never afraid of being in any kind of danger. That is amazing! 

Again, thank you for being so prepared.

Caitlin Frances

Shoreline