Good afternoon War Eagle families! Over the past several weeks our stakeholders have had many focused discussions surrounding school safety and security. As a result of these conversations and multiple inquiries, I feel the need to inform our families of a security threat that occurred during the 2016-2017 school year. It is my hope that sharing this information will help us all to understand Astronaut's protocols for safety and security.

In January 2017, Astronaut students and a teacher reported that another student threatened to shoot people at school. Through strong relationships between our teacher and students, as well as the Titusville PD, detectives acted promptly which resulted in the arrest of two students who had allegedly conspired to harm our students. A search of their homes found weapons that they could have used to carry out an attack. The beginning and end of the investigation happened over a long weekend. The students were investigated and under arrest all within that weekend. The students were expelled from Brevard Public Schools and turned over to the juvenile justice system.

We were asked by law enforcement not to publicly disclose anything during their open investigation, and we cooperated for the sake of student safety. Many changes to increase the level of security for our students at Astronaut have been implemented since the threat. We want to communicate and emphasize the measures we had taken to update and increase the level of security and thoroughness of our procedures. Astronaut has worked closely with Titusville PD and the Brevard Sheriff's Office to make our campus more secure and to keep our students safe.

I am committed to prioritizing student safety and security as number one. Astronaut has been recognized as a "flagship" school by the Titusville SWAT team, developing exemplary processes and procedures that can be replicated throughout the county, in the event of a threat to school security.

I need the support of all of stakeholders, students, families, and community alike, to assist Astronaut in maintaining a positive learning environment that starts with a safe campus. Please talk with and listen to your students. If you or they see something or hear something, please tell someone! Please do not hesitate to schedule a meeting with me if you would like to further discuss school safety. Have a great evening and GOOOOOO War Eagles!!!!